Pedro Antonio Tellez Arrested in John Muir Elementary School Sex Abuse Case

Oct 4, 2023

Glendale Police Department officials have arrested a Sylmar man in connection with two alleged sexual abuse incidents involving students at John Muir Elementary School. Pedro Antonio Tellez (aka Pedro Antonio Hernandez Llamas), 29, was booked on felony charges of Lewd Acts on a Minor Under the Age of 14 years after the parents of two victims separately reported that their child had been touched inappropriately, according to a Glendale Police press release.

Both victims are reportedly students at John Muir Elementary – located at the 900 block of S. Chevy Chase Drive in Glendale – and identified Tellez as the suspect. The Glendale Unified School District and the City of Glendale were immediately notified of the allegations, police officials confirmed.

Tellez was placed on administrative leave from his position as an hourly employee by both the Glendale Unified School District and the City of Glendale. The two employers confirmed Tellez’s status at the time of his arrest.

Tellez is currently being held at the Glendale City Jail on $200,000 bail. He is scheduled for arraignment on Thursday, October 5th, in Glendale Superior Court.

Law enforcement officials have indicated that they believe additional victims may have yet to be identified and are asking for the public’s assistance as their investigation into Pedro Antonio Tellez continues.

“Glendale Police Detectives are actively seeking additional victims or witnesses related to these types of incidents at the school. Preliminary investigation has led detectives to believe there may be additional victims dating back five years. The Glendale Unified School District has offered its support in helping to identify other victims and witnesses of this ongoing investigation,” the Glendale P.D. press release said.

Anyone with information related to the John Muir Elementary School sexual abuse case or a crime committed by Tellez is urged to immediately contact the Glendale Police Department’s Assaults Bureau Detectives at 818-548-4840.

Los Angeles County School Sexual Abuse Cases

The Glendale Unified School District and John Muir Elementary School are examples of countless area educational institutions which have been involved in allegations and/or charges related to child sexual abuse in recent years.

In fact, multiple area schools were ordered to pay damages or settle lawsuits last year stemming from allegations that administrators did not act swiftly to investigate employees accused of sexually abusing students. Some of those schools included:

• Pasadena Unified School District
• Union School District
• Los Angeles Unified School District
• Riverside Unified School District

Additionally, a number of recent school sexual abuse lawsuits have led to substantial settlements and verdicts for survivors:

• A San Jose school was ordered to pay $7.5 million to five men who were sexually abused by their elementary school teacher in the late 1970s and early ’80s.
• Survivors of a former Sun Valley high school wrestling coach were awarded a $52 million settlement in October 2022. The complaint alleged that the Los Angeles Unified School District knew of prior sexual misconduct and did nothing about it.
• A jury awarded $102.5 million in March 2022 to two women who sued a Northern California school district. The complaint alleged that officials failed to stop a middle school teacher from sexually grooming and abusing them as minors.
• In April 2022, a $13.7 million settlement was reached with the Riverside Unified School District after 10 students alleged sexual abuse by former school technology aide Fernando Figueroa. The survivors ranged between the ages of 7 and 11 at the time of the abuse.
• An $11 million school sex abuse settlement was reached between Redlands Unified School District and seven survivors. The plaintiffs, initially named in four separate lawsuits, accused a former Clement Middle School teacher, Sean Ramiro Lopez, of various sex crimes (Lopez is currently serving a 74-year prison sentence for sexual abuse).

How to File a Glendale, California, School Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

If you are a survivor of school sexual assault or abuse, filing a civil claim with Dordulian Law Group (DLG) against your perpetrator can be a means of securing justice on your own terms and recovering the financial compensation you deserve. A civil lawsuit is separate from any criminal proceedings that may be brought against a sexual predator by the District Attorney’s Office.
By contacting DLG’s California school sex abuse attorneys for a free consultation, we will review your case and provide you with all available legal options. We will fight aggressively to secure all applicable damages for past harm endured by a school employee, teacher, principal, counselor, or coach:

• Hospital expenses
• Medical care/treatment costs (past and future)
• Counseling or therapy expenses (past and future)
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma/psychological harm
• Diminished quality of life
• Lost wages due to the sexual abuse
• Lost earning capacity due to the sexual abuse
• Punitive damages

Spotting signs of School Sexual Abuse Under California Law?

If you have questions about your school sexual abuse civil lawsuit, contact a member of DLG’s SAJE Team today for a confidential consultation at 866-GO-SEE-SAM. DLG was founded by Sam Dordulian, a former sex crimes prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County whose more than 25 years of experience includes obtaining life sentences against some of our community’s most dangerous sex offenders.

At DLG, we provide school sexual abuse survivors and their families peace of mind through an unparalleled level of experience which generates proven results. Some of our recent sexual abuse case victories include:

• A multi-million dollar settlement on behalf of a rape survivor who had met a man on a ‘Sugar Daddy’ website.
• A $2.25 million settlement on behalf of a rideshare rape survivor.
• A $2 million settlement for a decades-old child sexual abuse case.
• An undisclosed maximum damages award on behalf of a survivor who filed a claim against an employer for committing minimal contact (under California’s eggshell plaintiff rule).

Contact our top-rated team of expert sexual abuse attorneys online or by phone today to pursue justice and secure a financial award for damages.

Contact DLG’s John Muir Elementary School sexual abuse attorneys today by calling 866-GO-SEE-SAM for your free, confidential, and no obligation consultation. Our Glendale, California, school sexual abuse lawyers will fight tirelessly to secure justice and maximum financial compensation for your case.