May 4, 2016 — The San Jose Police Department has arrested a Gilroy High School teacher who allegedly posed as a girl online to entice high school boys to send him nude photos.
Douglas Le, 25, was hired by the district three years ago to teach AP chemistry and biotechnology. He was also previously the school’s track and field coach.
Police say he created a fake female Facebook profile and sent messages to over 500 underage boys. The victims include current and former male Gilroy students. Detectives are investigating whether he sexually abused minors in addition to seeking illicit photos.
After the arrest, a parent told KSBW that Le sent her 10th-grade daughter sexually inappropriate text messages in October 2014.
The incident occurred soon after Le was hired. The mother went to the school district and Le was disciplined, but allowed to return to the classroom. The mother told KSBW:
“I warned the Gilroy school district about this teacher over 1 1/2 years ago when he sent sexual texts to my child. I brought them proof. Did they take appropriate action? No. Could this have been prevented? You bet. More should (and) could have been done.”
District superintendent Deborah Flores said the matter was thoroughly investigated and Le was disciplined for sending the text messages. She said the matter was “not about inciting minors, which is the current issue.” Flores said the district is now moving swiftly to fire Le.
The case is being investigated by San Jose Police as part of a nationwide task force that looks for sexual predators on the internet. Le was arrested on April 26 at the school and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail. Anyone with information is asked to call the San Jose Police Department at 408-537-1381.
CASE NUMBER: 16-113-0285
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