Colleen Jo Matarico, Los Angeles special education teacher arrested having sex with student in her car, plying boy with marijuana as cops fear Valley Village, CA woman grooming additional victims.
A San Fernando Valley special education teacher is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old student in her car and providing minors with marijuana, as police now fear there may be other victims.
Colleen Jo Matarico, 43, of Valley Village, Southern California, was arrested on Thursday and charged with child molestation and furnishing marijuana to a minor, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The teacher ‘groomed and sexually assaulted a 13-year-old victim in her classroom, and later convinced the victim to have sexual intercourse in her vehicle,’ police said in a statement.
Abuse of position, trust and power
‘Detectives believe there are additional, unidentified victims of Matarico who have yet to come forward,’ the LAPD said in an appeal for ‘additional victims of sexual assault.’
Authorities declined to name of the school where Matarico taught, along with her current employment status.
Nevertheless a google search showed Matarico being listed as working as a teacher at John Burroughs Middle School in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles, according to the school’s website.
Her LinkedIn profile states she is a special education teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Matarico is charged with five counts of lewd acts with a minor, two counts of lewd acts with a minor 14 or 15 years old and one count of furnishing marijuana to a minor.
She is being held on a $1.3 million bail.
Not immediately clear is what led to the female educator abusing her position of trust, authority and power and subjugating her young male victim(s).
Anyone with additional information is urged to contact LAPD’s Juvenile Division Abused Child Section at 424-259-7097 and speak with detectives.
