Substitute Teacher at California Adventist Schools Arrested on Child Porn Charges
7 August 2019 | Justin Daniel Villegas, 22, a substitute teacher who was employed by two Adventist schools in California’s San Joaquin Valley and an Adventist camp in Yosemite National Park, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of possessing child pornography.
Law enforcement claimed he was in possession of more than 600 images of child porn.
Villegas had worked as a substitute teacher at Armona Union Academy and at Fresno Adventist Academy. He had also served as a counselor at Camp Wawona in Yosemite.
“Hanford PD investigators learned Justin Daniel Villegas had used an online data storage service to possess approximately 800 images and videos depicting children under the age of 18 in actual or simulated sexual acts,” said police according to the Fresno Bee.
The Central California Conference of the Adventist denomination released a statement regarding the arrest.
“The administrations of the Conference, schools, and Camp Wawona are cooperating with law enforcement,” said a portion of the statement. “We have no indication that any of our students or campers were involved in this matter.”
The conference asked for anyone with pertinent information to contact the Hanford Police Department, saying “Children are our most valuable asset and we remain committed to this end.”