Substitute Teacher Andrew Sandoval Arrested for Child Molestation

Jul 31, 2024

Andrew Sandoval, a substitute teacher and teacher’s aide who has worked in various schools throughout the greater Los Angeles area, was arrested for alleged child molestation and sexual assault.

Sandoval, 27, was taken into custody by South Gate Police Department officials on July 25. The suspect is a resident of South Gate and has reportedly been charged with child molestation and other offenses. Sandoval faces multiple counts related to:

• Lewd acts with a child
• Sexual activity with a child
• Possession of child pornography

Additional details related to the child sexual abuse charges against substitute teacher Andrew Sandoval were not released by police.

Jail records indicate that Sandoval is currently being held in lieu of $7 million bail.

Detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims and released Sandoval’s mugshot. South Gate Police officials are requesting the public’s assistance in helping to locate victims of unreported sexual assaults involving Andrew Sandoval.

Anyone with information related to a possible sexual assault committed by substitute teacher Andrew Sandoval is urged to contact the South Gate Police Department at 323-563-5436. For those who prefer to remain anonymous, tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers by calling 800-222-8477 or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.

Getting Justice for Los Angeles Teacher Sexual Abuse Victims

Educator sexual misconduct is a term used by the Psychiatric Times to describe “behavior by an educator that is directed at a student and intended to sexually arouse or titillate the educator or the child.” The word ‘educator’ can include schoolteachers as well as coaches, counselors, administrators, tutors, and aides. All students from kindergarten through 12th grade may be victimized.

Teacher sexual misconduct is typically defined as:

Any physical, verbal, or visual (such as showing pornography) sexual behavior occurring between an educator and a student.

Survivors of teacher and coach sexual abuse are at an increased risk for mental, emotional, and physical disorders. Victims of childhood or school sexual abuse often report suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, and guilt. The effects of sexual abuse in school can affect the victim long-term, with research indicating that sexual abuse of children can permanently impact victims.

In addition to any criminal charges that have been filed against Andrew Sandoval, survivors of South Gate substitute teacher sexual abuse may choose to pursue justice by filing civil lawsuits.
For victims of Los Angeles substitute teacher sexual abuse, a civil lawsuit may be a means of securing justice through financial compensation. Dordulian Law Group’s (D Law Group) school and teacher sex abuse lawyers are standing by 24/7 to help answer any questions you may have about the legal process.

We’re available for free and confidential consultations by calling 866-GO-SEE-SAM.

Los Angeles-Area School Districts See Spike in Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

If you’re a parent with a child in a Los Angeles-area school, it’s important to note that multiple local districts have recently been impacted by teacher, coach, and employee sexual abuse:

• El Monte Union High School District
• Los Angeles Unified School District
• Glendale Unified School District
• Redlands Unified School District
• Anaheim Union High School District
• Bakersfield City School District
• San Bernardino City Unified School District
• Santa Barbara Unified School District
• Santa Clara Unified School District
• Sonoma Valley Unified School District
• Torrance Unified School District

As a result, many school districts – in California and throughout the nation – have paid out multimillion dollar settlements to victims of sexual abuse.

Los Angeles Unified School District, as an example, has paid out more than $300 million in civil lawsuit settlements over the past few years, including the following:

• $140 Million: This amount was awarded to 82 survivors of child sexual abuse who were victimized by Mark Berndt, a single teacher at Miramonte Elementary School. Since 1983, school administrators have largely ignored several complaints of inappropriate behavior from both parents and children. The abuse continued for over 30 years. Berndt currently serves a 25-year sentence to life in prison for his crimes. He may have abused more than 100 children.
• $88 Million: LAUSD paid the amount in order to settle 30 cases involving child sexual abuse at two elementary schools. De La Torre Elementary had 18 cases and Telfair Elementary 12; both were a result of sexual abuse. The district, as with the abuse at Miramonte elementary school, had information about the abusive teachers and did not stop them. De La Torre’s settlement totaled $58 million, while Telfair’s settlement was $40 million.
• $6.9 Million: The highest payout to date for a single victim, the damages were issued after the abuse took place at Queen Anne Place Primary. In this case, a teacher in the fifth grade began sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy starting in October 2008. In July 2009, the abuse continued until the boy told his father about it. Forrest Stobbe, the predator teacher, was arrested and convicted of his crimes. He is currently serving 16 years in prison.

All of these area school sexual abuse cases serve as a warning for parents about the prevalence of predators in local districts. But they also demonstrate how survivors are coming forward to get the justice they deserve.

In fact, 69 publicly reported damages awards and settlements of $1 million or more among K-12 schools and colleges were recorded in 2022 (an increase from 38 sex abuse damages awards of $1 million or more in 2021).

A number of recent school sexual abuse settlements and verdicts have not been made public, however. Accordingly, the true number of damages awards exceeding $1 million could be much higher.

How to File a Los Angeles Substitute Teacher Sexual Abuse Claim

To begin the process of securing justice for your child’s sexual abuse case, contact a member of the Dordulian Law Group team today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM. Dordulian Law Group is led by Los Angeles school sexual abuse lawyer Sam Dordulian, a former sex crimes prosecutor and deputy district attorney. We are dedicated to fighting tirelessly for justice and maximum financial compensation on behalf of school sexual abuse victims.

Our elite team of Sexual Abuse Justice Experts (SAJE Team) offers victims a four-person support network throughout every step of the litigation process:

• A team of proven and experienced Los Angels school sexual abuse lawyers led by Sam Dordulian
• A retired LAPD detective and D Law Group’s in-house Chief Investigator, Moses Castillo
• An in-house licensed clinical therapist
• An in-house certified victim advocate

Our Sexual Assault Justice Experts are here to help survivors secure justice. Contact our top-rated attorneys online or by phone for a free consultation today.

Don’t be intimated to take on a negligent school or predator teacher if your child has been victimized. Contact D Law Group’s South Gate school sexual abuse lawyers today for a free and confidential consultation by calling 866-GO-SEE-SAM.