SCHOOL WORKER HELD IN LEWD ACTS.Byline: SUSAN ABRAM Staff Writer CANOGA PARK -- An LAUSD maintenance man who worked at three dozen schools -- many in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. -- over the past 20 years has been charged with molesting two children, and police said Wednesday that number could grow. Jose Guzman, 40, faces five counts of committing lewd acts upon a child. He was arrested June 6 on suspicion of molestation molestation n. the crime of sexual acts with children up to the age of 18, including touching of private parts, exposure of genitalia, taking of pornographic pictures, rape, inducement of sexual acts with the molester or with other children, and variations of these . He had most recently been assigned to Canoga Park High School Canoga Park High School is a public school located in Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, USA, within the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is located right across the street from the Topanga Plaza shopping center. but had worked at 35 other Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. campuses over the past two decades, police said. The investigation began in April. Detectives said Guzman told a mental health therapist he was ``stricken with guilt for molesting children.'' Believing kids' lives were at risk, the therapist, who was not affiliated with LAUSD, reported the information to police. Investigators learned that a 7-year-old boy allegedly was molested in a school restroom two years ago, and another child allegedly was molested 16 years ago at Guzman's home. ``By putting this information out there, we're looking for additional children who may have been molested, to see if there's a pattern,'' said Lt. Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . . ``The way these crimes go, you usually don't see a 14-year hiatus.'' Guzman was arrested at his sister's home in Arleta on suspicion of committing lewd and lascivious lewd and lascivious adj., adv. references to conduct which includes people living together who are known not to be married, entertainment which aims at arousing the libido or primarily sexual sensation, open solicitation for prostitution, or indecent exposure of acts on a child under 14. He remains in custody with bail at $500,000 and has been suspended from his job pending the outcome of the case. ``Whenever these unfortunate incidents occur, we take them seriously,'' said Monica Carazo, spokswoman for the school district. susan.abram(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3664 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: JOSE GUZMAN |
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