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Oct 19, 2023
A teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was arrested on suspicion of possessing and distributing child pornography.
Rene Gregorio Estrella, 60, was taken into custody early Wednesday morning by the San Bernardino Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged production, possession, and distribution of child pornography. Estrella is a teacher at Miguel Contreras Business and Tourism Academy High School in L.A.’s Westlake district near Dodger Stadium, according to media reports.
Estrella was arrested around 6:30 a.m. after a traffic stop on Padua Avenue at Baseline Street in Claremont. Police officials confirmed that a search warrant was served at a home in Redlands in San Bernardino County, which later led them to Claremont in Los Angeles County, according to KTLA. The Press-Enterprise reported that video posted to social media shows the stop and a search of Estrella’s Claremont home.
The Press-Enterprise also reported that the arrest is connected to the apprehension of a Redlands planning commissioner earlier this month.
Several electronic devices were discovered and seized as evidence at the time of Estrella’s arrest, according to KTLA and Fox 11.
The LAUSD Miguel Contreras Business and Tourism Academy High School teacher is expected to face felony charges related to child pornography possession.
KTLA also reported that a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Unified School District provided the following statement, identifying the school where Estrella was employed:
“The safety of our students and school community remains our top priority. This afternoon, we were notified by the San Bernardino Police Department that an employee of Miguel Contreras/Business and Tourism Academy High School has been arrested and prohibited from coming onto any District site.
All District protocols are being followed, and we remain in cooperation with local authorities. Due to the ongoing investigation by law enforcement, we are unable to disclose additional details about this matter. Please be assured that the safety of our students continues to be our utmost priority. Students and the greater school community are always encouraged to share any and all concerns with their school or with local authorities.
We remain committed to supporting Miguel Contreras High School and the greater school community with counseling and support services.”
Estrella was booked into the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino early Wednesday morning. He posted bail and was subsequently released.
Police identified Estrella as a suspect during an investigation into Steven Frasher, a Redlands planning commissioner arrested earlier this month, according to the Press-Enterprise.
“Multiple images of child pornography were shared among them,” Police Sergeant Christopher Gray of the San Bernardino Police said.
Frasher was arrested October 3rd. He was a spokesman for the Riverside Police Department before becoming a spokesman for Los Angeles County Public Works. He resigned from the Redlands Planning Commission shortly after his arrest on suspicion of possession of child pornography, according to the Press-Enterprise.
Sex crimes charges have yet to be issued against Frasher by the District Attorney’s Office.
Police are asking anyone with information related to the ongoing investigations into teacher Rene Gregorio Estrella and planning commissioner Steven Frasher to contact Detective Clint Walton of the San Bernardino Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force at 909-384-5644 or Walton_cl@sbcity.org.
Glendale-based Dordulian Law Group (DLG) offers free and confidential consultations for victims of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), teacher sex abuse, as well as all forms of image-based child sexual abuse (IBSA). Contact a member of our dedicated team today by calling 866-GO-SEE-SAM.
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DLG’s unique 24/7 network of support professionals, known as the SAJE Team (Sexual Abuse Justice Experts), is led by attorney Sam Dordulian, a former sex crimes prosecutor in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council.
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Contact us today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM to get justice for your image-based child sexual abuse (IBSA) or teacher sex abuse case today.
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* A San Bernardino police officer arrests Rene Gregorio Estrella, a 60-year-old Los Angeles Unified school teacher, on suspicion of possession of child pornography in Claremont on Oct. 18, 2023. (Courtesy of San Bernardino Police Department)
Sam Dordulian is an award-winning sexual abuse lawyer with over 25 years' experience helping survivors secure justice. As a former sex crimes prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney for L.A. County, he secured life sentences against countless sexual predators. Mr. Dordulian currently serves on the National Leadership Council for RAINN.
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