This past Monday, a teacher's aide by the name of Alonso Manuel Gonzalez was arrested by SanTana police and released on bail. The Orange County Sheriff's website no longer lists why folks get thrown in the pokey, but the Orange County Superior Court website shows Gonzalez was arrested for a“lewd act with dependant adult by caretaker.”
Sources tell the Weekly Gonzalez works at Saddleback High School in SanTana and that he works primarily with disabled students–and that school officials are trying to keep Gonzalez's arrest under wraps from parents and the media. “We were told in a meeting that none of us should talk about [the incident and arrest], to not discuss it with anyone,” says a Saddleback teacher who requested anonymity.
The Weekly called Saddleback High's main number (714-513-2900) and asked if a school employee had been arrested. “No,” whoever picked up the phone sternly responded. She quickly added that even if something like that had happened, she was not at liberty to discuss personnel matters. When the lady asked who had told me about the arrest, I responded that a student had alerted me to it. “You know how students blow up stories,” she snorted.
But when I asked if an incident involving a teacher's assistant indecently exposing himself to a student had occurred, the woman acknowledged this, but quickly added “at this point, it's only an allegation.” She confirmed that parents were not notified of the “allegation.”
To recap Saddleback's story: no arrest has been made of a school employee, it's none of our business, kids exaggerate, a sex crime DID happen, but since it's just hearsay, parents don't need to know. Is the SanTana Unified School District now under the direct governance of the Diocese of Orange? Sick, just sick. Much, much more on this story next week…
