Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA

An earlier page from the Los Angeles Times had a picture of Al Gore instead of the teacher, as they noted in this screenshot.

Mar 22, 2007 - Antonio Gomez, 36, a teacher at Stevenson Middle School in East Los Angeles, was arrested on suspicion of molesting five teenage girls.

The girls are 13 to 16 and include two sisters. The arrest came after a month long investigation. Police believe there may be more victims.

Formal charges are pending, but Gomez has been accused of committing lewd acts with a child younger than 14 and is free on $100,000 bail, police said. Gomez has been reassigned to a site where he has no contact with students, pending the completion of the investigation.

Mar 27 - Gomez will now be placed on unpaid leave, Hilda Ramirez of the Los Angeles Unified School District said. Prosecutors allege Gomez began molesting one of the victims when she was younger than 14. Six of the counts relate to that girl, who was allegedly molested between Feb. 1 and Nov. 30 of last year. On March 6, investigators served search warrants at the school and at Gomez's home.

Mar 28 - Gomez pleaded not guilty. The judge increased Antonio Gomez's bail from $100,000 from $620,000, noting the "seriousness of the charges." Gomez was immediately taken into custody. Although initial reports said there were five victims, the prosecutor only charged Gomez with two. The Deputy DA told the court that "other victims that are outside the statute (of limitations) that the court should take into consideration."

Gomez had originally been reassigned to a "non-school site" with pay. He is now on unpaid leave.

Mar 27 - Press Release from Los Angeles District Attorney's Office on the arrest.