Los Angeles Drama Teacher Charged with 26 Felony Counts of Sexual Abuse of Students

A Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) drama teacher arrested on Friday was formally charged this Tuesday – February 25 – on charges relating to the sexual assault of two minors. Peter Christopher Gomez, a 48-year old teacher from La Habra, was taken into custody early Friday afternoon by LAPD officers. Officials from the Los Angeles Police Department allege that Gomez sexually abused two students – ages 14 and 18 years old – while he was a teacher at Benjamin Franklin High School in Highland Park.

On Tuesday, Gomez was formally charged in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom and pleaded not guilty to 26 felony counts. Allegations against Gomez include 8 counts of oral copulation of a minor under 16, 6 counts of oral copulation of a minor under 19, 5 counts of sodomy of a minor under 16, 3 counts of sodomy of a minor, and 4 counts of committing lewd acts on a minor. If convicted of all 26 counts, Gomez faces up to 20 years in prison. He is being held on $1.5 million bail.

Gomez taught at Franklin High School from June 1999 through September 2003, and was teaching drama and history at Bell High School prior to being arrested. LAUSD officials also stated that he has worked for the district since 1996 and are encouraging other possible victims or students with information about the case to step forward.

Authorities from LAPD suspect that there may be other victims and are continuing their investigations. At The Senators (Ret.) Firm, our California sexual abuse attorneys represent all victims of sexual abuse, including underage students. These cases are often difficult for the fact that many abuse survivors do not come forward to accuse their offenders. Our legal team understands the difficult nature of these cases, and we work passionately and closely with clients to help them step forward to seek the justice they deserve.

For more information about sexual abuse lawsuits and how our firm may be of assistance, call 800-773-0849.