A Hollister resident who teaches at a middle school in San Jose has been arrested on suspicion of having inappropriate sexual communications via social media with a student, police said Sept. 29.
Trae Devonte Owens, 29, a teacher at Herbert Hoover Middle School, is accused of communications over three weeks with a female student at Abraham Lincoln High School that included soliciting inappropriate images from her and making arrangements to pick her up, according to San Jose police.
Officers learned about the case last Friday and obtained an arrest warrant for Owens, who was taken into custody Sunday in the city of Hollister, where he lives.
San Jose Unified School District officials said they worked with police after receiving a tip “that a current employee may have engaged in unacceptable behavior involving a student.”
Additional counselors will be available at both Hoover Middle School and Lincoln High School this week, according to the district.
“Students are often the first ones who notice inappropriate behavior. It takes a tremendous amount of courage and confidence to report something you know is wrong. Safeguarding the health and safety of our students, employees, and community requires each of us to speak up when something is not right, to support others that are in need, and to work together to address challenges,” the school district said in their announcement about the arrest. “We appreciate everyone who helped us respond so quickly.”
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