Sacramento County Sheriff's detectives on Wednesday said they arrested John Richard Young, 53, of Sacramento for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old female victim.
Sheriff's spokesman Sgt Tony Turnbull said in a statement that it was March 16, 2017, when the Sheriff’s Department was informed about allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct between Young and the teenager.
Young was a teacher at Sheldon High School in Elk Grove, and investigators said it was alleged that he had the sexual contact with the girl over the past year. The Elk Grove Unified School District was notified of the allegations, and reportedly placed Young on an immediate administrative leave pending the investigation.
53-year-old John Richard Young. Booking photo courtesy Sacramento Sheriff's Department
The Elk Grove Unified School District issued a statement regarding multiple employees who have been found to be involved in inappropriate sexual conduct. District officials acknowledge there have been seven such incidents dating back to April of 2016:
- Sheldon High School (John (Juan) Young 5/2/17)
- Cosumnes Oaks High School (Name withheld 4/20/17)
- Marion Mix (Chris Navarette 2/24/17) – Crossing Guard through Independent Contractor
- Prairie Elementary (Eric Echols-Gollas 9/16/16)
- Prairie Elementary (Chris Kinney 12/14/16) – Volunteer
- Sheldon HS (John Misplay 3/18/16)
- Florin High School (Rudy Beuhler 4/8/16)
The district's statement also reads, "... even one incident is one too many; this number of incidents is high in a relatively short amount of time and this number is not acceptable. The District understands that this matter is very concerning to all staff, students, parents and the District’s communities. Student safety remains the District’s utmost priority."
Turnball said that Young's case was turned over to the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office after an investigation by the Sheriff’s Department Sexual Assault and Elder Abuse Bureau. It was after the case had been forwarded to the District Attorney's Office that a felony arrest warrant for oral copulation with a person under 18 years of age was issued.
Young was taken into custody outside his home on Tuesday, May 2, by officers with the Sacramento Police Department. He being held on $25,000 bail, and is scheduled to be arraigned in Sacramento Superior Court on May 4.