Corona Teacher Accused of Molesting Girls Must Stand Trial, Banning Judge Says

BANNING, CA - A Corona elementary school teacher accused of inappropriately touching female students must stand trial on four counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Shane Alan Kent, 56, of Corona was arrested in February 2015 following a Corona police investigation into alleged encounters with four sixth-grade girls at Orange Elementary School.

After a preliminary hearing at the Banning Justice Center, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Thomas Glasser found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on all charges filed against Kent.

Glasser scheduled a post-preliminary hearing for April 6. Kent is free on $165,000 bail.

According to Corona police Detective Martin Vega, officers received a report in early February 2015 that Kent had allegedly engaged in "inappropriate touching" of a girl, leading to an investigation that included interviews with the child and Kent.

After Kent was arrested, three additional girls came forward alleging that they had been groped by him when he hugged them during class activities between 2013 and early 2015.

None of the alleged victims testified during Tuesday's hearing, but detectives who documented their allegations did, recounting how Kent would allegedly slide his hands over the girls' buttocks while embracing them.

The defense maintains that the encounters were innocent, involving ordinary acts of affection. Kent's attorney, Brian Gurwitz, asked that the charges against his client be dismissed, but Glasser denied the motion.

The Corona-Norco Unified School District placed Kent on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of his case.

— By City News Service.