A woman working as a student aide at an Imperial Beach high school was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sex crimes involving a student, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The arrest came after patrol deputies were called to the school Monday regarding allegations the aide was having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student, sheriff’s Lt. Patrick Fox said in a news release.
Detectives with the department’s Sexual Abuse Unit also responded, Fox said.
He said the ensuing investigation led to the arrest of Lisette Ortega Veles, 31, in connection with five charges, including sex crimes. She was booked into Las Colinas jail. It was not immediately known if she had an attorney.
Fox said the timeframe of the suspected incident or incidents “was sometime from the start of the school year until the incident was reported.”
The school district issued a statement that it is “aware of an investigation involving a contracted vendor and is fully cooperating with law enforcement throughout this process. We are committed to providing the necessary to our community during this time.”
Fox said Ortega Veles is employed by Ro Health, which he said is “a third-party contractor used by Mar Vista High School.”
Ro Health issued a statement from CEO Jeff Widmyer, who said “safety is our top priority,” and that the company takes the allegations “extremely seriously.”
“We are doing everything we can to investigate the issue and to respond appropriately,” the statement reads.
Widmyer also said company’s employee-screening process includes background checks, including Department of Justice and FBI fingerprint clearance.
The school district and the Sheriff’s Office asked that anyone with information about the alleged incident call the sheriff’s Sexual Assault Unit at 858-285-6112 during business hours, or 858-868-3200 after hours. Anonymous tips can be left with Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or online at sdcrimestoppers.org.
