A teacher was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of having sex with a former student, police said.
Marie Johnson, 40, of Livermore faces 24 counts of sexual assault on a teen boy. She was arrested without incident on campus, according to court records.
Police received information Tuesday alleging that Johnson was engaging in sexual relations with a boy under 15. Investigators then served a search warrant of Johnson's residence.
The incidents reportedly occurred numerous times during a six-month period, beginning in December 2010 and ending in May of 2011, police said. The relationship was initially formed through the use of text messaging, Facebook, and instant messaging on the online game “Words with Friends.”
Police said the sexual encounters primarily took place inside of Johnson’s vehicle and at other undisclosed locations in Livermore.
The boy, who was 14 at the time of the incidents, is a student at Granada High, Officer Steve Goard said. He is a former student of Johnson — who teaches math — but was not enrolled in her class during the sexual relations, Goard said.
Superintendent Kelly Bowers issued the following statement:
The LVJUSD confirms that a Granada High School teacher was placed on administrative leave by the District and arrested by the Livermore Police Department this morning for alleged inappropriate relations with a minor, pending investigation of the allegations.
The District and Board of Education, as advocates and safeguards for the students entrusted to us, take our responsibility for student safety while in our charge very seriously. The District, Board, and site administration and staff are cooperating fully with law enforcement officials, while conducting a simultaneous personnel investigation. As always, while following due process guidelines, if we discover that any adult or staff member has placed a student or students at risk, we take appropriate, swift and decisive action.
We are not at liberty to discuss specifics or details, as the alleged victim is a minor and has the right and expectation of privacy and confidentiality. We do not want to jeopardize the integrity of the investigations. We are not legally allowed to comment on specifics regarding the staff member, as personnel matters must remain confidential by law.
Safety of students is our utmost priority. Any staff, student, parent or community member who has concerns or information pertinent to these investigations is asked to contact the LPD and/or the GHS site or District Superintendent’s office.
Johnson is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in lieu of $1.85 million bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned at 11 a.m. Friday in Department 701 of the Gale-Schenone Hall of Justice in Pleasanton. Court records show she is expected to be charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under 18, oral copulation and committing a lewd act on a child.
According to anonymous online reviews posted at RateMyTeacher.com, Johnson was fairly popular as a teacher — though some said she was "fun" and "cool" but not focused enough on the subject matter.
"The best teacher I had at Granada, so good I managed to get her every year I went there, three years as a student and 1 as a TA. She's the funniest, and easy going in a strict sort of way. If your (sic) looking for laughs and learning she's your teacher" said one commenter on Dec. 12.
In a similar high-profile case last year, Livermore resident agreed to a that gave her five years in prison for unlawful sex with two 14-year-old boys.
The Investigations Bureau does not believe that there are any additional victims in the Johnson case. However, the department recommends that parents speak with their children about the nature of any contacts with Johnson. Any person having knowledge of this crime, or any other crimes involving Johnson, should contact Livermore Police Department Press Information Officer Steve Goard at 925-294-7531.
If you're interested in what others have to say about this story, visit our Facebook Page. At last count, there were 85 comments about it. For a compilation of other online conversations, read our Storify article.
"When I saw this, my heart sank. I am a female teacher & the issue of trust is vital. These accounts of teachers betraying their trust is overwhelming. I'm blown away by the revelation that a fellow educator (allegedly) crossed the line with a male student. Mostly I feel numb. This teacher was a trusted a friend, a colleague, a role model. My feelings range from wanting to just let it all out to total disbelief, & are about the betrayal of our entire reputation. Students trusted her & are still trying to. I know no matter WHAT this student may or may not have done to instigate an inappropriate sexual act with a teacher, the bottom line is that the teacher knows this is wrong. We ALL have a responsibility to keep personal feelings from allowing students to forget the only thing that matters: we have an OBLIGATION & TRUST to protect. Children, parents, & the community trust us. We trust each other. But now people will look at ALL of us & ask if they can trust ANY of us. We must take strong measures 2 protect ourselves & our students, from going over the line. Every teacher should know that when we care so much about our students, a student can possibly take this positive attention in the wrong way." (Continued in next comment)
"But WE must NEVER do this. Teachers know what it's like 2 have a close relationship with students & even receive an occasional suggestive or inappropriate comment (or truthfully, in today's age, an outright proposal) from a student. We SHOULD know how 2 deal with this in a professional NOT a personal way, so we can protect the dignity of the student & the trust of our community."
Dublin Mom, you made the same connection this 20-year police reporter did. Good for you!
The recent comments made by “Dublin Mom” on the Livermore.Patch.com site are simply offensive.
Disclaimer: The comments made here represent my personal views and my views only and do not represent any official position, policy, or contract of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District or the Livermore Education Association.
I have also held back because speaking publicly on this subject can bring danger to me, but there are some misunderstandings here. First let me say that I am also proud of how Granada and the LPD handled this situation. Also, can we fault any person for simply expressing their concerns and wondering? Is not the protection of every victim's well being of primary focus here? For those who think Ms. Berry is simply seeking to promote her memoir, that is a mistake. Ms. Berry's children attended LHS and she has a passion for our kids, for education and for truth. Ms. Berry IS seeking to promote education for ALL victims, the courage to SPEAK to someone they trust, and the ability to get oneself out of a bad situation. Often at her own expense. Silence is the enemy here. This student speaking up, and ALL speaking up, is what she advocates for. This message is vital for all students and staff to hear. Both Mr. Pickering and Ms. Berry are strong advocates for victims of bullying and fear induced silencing, and at the core they both fight for many of the same things and for our kids. Can we band together on those issues with respect and compassion? Don't all of us who may have been silenced need to be given protection, safe persons to trust and to be given a voice?
And then there's this case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Davis That guy wasn't so lucky. The gods must be appeased. They want more blood.
The accused need protection as well.
So when I say my book was pulled from the shelves, that's because it was. I stood right beside LHS Principal Darrel Avilla in the school library, where he directly told Librarian Stephanie Bogetti to remove ALL four copies from the shelves. I heard Ms. Bogetti's reply, because I was standing within a two-foot radius, at most, from both of them. She first questioned him, as if she didn't think she heard correctly. He repeated his directive. She then said three of the books had already been checked out, and only one remained in circulation. He told her to remove it, then. She did so and I think he took it with him, promising to read it.
Several staffers at both high schools expressed disappointment and surprise at this decision, and I am told that at least one person who heard me speak to the Granada students went to speak to Mr. Avilla personally, to appeal to him on the basis of the benefits such a discussion could bring about. After that email reply, I had no hope of a future invitation. And I am not the one being harmed by that decision--your students are. It is very sad, really, that adults in a position of power do not first, adhere to the superintendent's mission statement as posted on the LVJUSD website, which directly speaks to issues such as this one. If there is nothing to hide, are other unanswered questions that remain, and
But the bigger message I hope I leave with students, and anyone really, is that no matter what horrible thing has happened to you, you are strong enough to overcome it. Being a teen mom and having four children by the time I did, being forced to have a tubal ligation because of ongoing rape within my marriage that was going to ensure I continued "barefoot and pregnant" and so on and so forth, ad nauseam, was not the end of my life--it was the beginning. Just the beginning. Because by now, you see, after I was able to get help and flee such a harmful relationship, I went on to accomplish most of the goals I had as a child. It took an immense amount of work, and a willingness to ask others for help, but I did it--and so can anyone else! That's the message that I wanted to share with LHS students.
Let me tell you why: Librarian Stephanie Bogetti was visibly shaken by the early morning events of Sept. 23. She was in tears over the situation. I'm pretty sure she was afraid that she was probably afraid of losing the new job she had just taken, although she never told me that. What she did tell me was that she was afraid that every book coming through the door, as a result of what was happening that day with my book, would be subjected to a strict process she had never seen happen before,at her previous jobs. As a librarian, she was allowed to choose, order and place in circulation books that she, as a trained professional she was and is, without ever having her choices questioned--or censored. She feared--and so did I, after what I saw and heard firsthand that morning--that the students would suffer, if the book-buying process became so micro-managed. I have not spoken to Stephanie since I left the school. I heard from various people after my visit that a directive had been issued to everyone involved, that they were not supposed to discuss the matter with anyone. I did send her flowers the following week, as a show of concern and support, but I never heard back from her. That concerns me. Greatly.
What I hope instead, and what I think more probable, is that after hearing me speak at Granada, the word about my teen experiences spread, and students began talking among themselves, which often happens in such cases, and perhaps a friend of the male victim was emboldened to tell the victim that these types of relationships are not equal in power or in any other way, and that he wasn't the willing partner he may have believed himself to be--but he was, instead, a victim. A victim who needed to get help. We do agree on one thing: I cannot imagine many educators who, upon learning about such a crime, would allow it to continue without going through the proper channels to report it. It could be that "Dublin Mom" feels this is possible because of the large gap between the last alleged incident, in May, and the fact that police weren't contacted until last week. When my children were students in the LVJUSD system, I only experienced the oppositie of that. Their needs were put first, and the teachers and administrators performed admirably to see they got whatever help they needed, and promptly.
In this case, the news states there was a confession. I cannot judge this case, and would not want to. Justice requires level heads and honest hearts. Let's hope for both.