The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office today filed nine additional felony counts of sexual molestation against Thomas Arthur Beltran, a longtime teacher at Lincoln Middle School in the Santa Monica Unified School District. Beltran was arraigned in court Friday, said Deputy District Attorney Robin Sax Katzenstein of the Sex Crimes Division, where he pleaded not guilty to the nine additional charges, which involve three new victims.
Beltran has been charged with a total of 23 felony counts involving at total of eight students, and he faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
The District Attorney’s office charged Beltran last month with sexually molesting five female students. He was arrested May 3, and appeared in court May 6 where he pleaded not guilty to 14 felony counts of sexual molestation, according to the district attorney’s office.
Beltran allegedly sexually molested three girls under the age of 14 between September 2000 and June 2004. He was charged today with six additional counts of lewd act on a child and three counts of continuous sexual abuse, bringing the total to 23 felony counts, the district attorney’s office said. The complaint alleges he molested eight victims. Bail remains at $3.3 million.
Beltran, a 7th grade teacher of English as a second language, was arrested in May by Santa Monica Police after a 12-year-old female Lincoln Middle School student reported the alleged abuse to her parents. Seven additional girls made similar allegations. An investigation is ongoing.
Beltran has been with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for 30 years. He has been teaching at Lincoln for about 20 years.
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Beltran is due back July 17 at LAX Superior Court, Dept. 144, to set a date for the preliminary hearing.