Lorbeer Middle School Teacher Arrested on Charges of Lewd Acts Committed on a Former Student

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau is investigating a case involving a 41-year-old Lorbeer Middle School teacher who is accused of having had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old former student.

On September 30, the suspect, Steven Andrews, surrendered to the Walnut Sheriff’s Station, where he was booked on charges of lewd acts with a child. On October 5, the District Attorney’s office filed 17 charges against Andrews, which the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports included six counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object, six counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child, two counts of oral copulation with a child under 16 and three counts of lewd acts on a child. His bail is set at $450,000, and he is scheduled for arraignment in Pomona Superior Court on October 25. 

According to the Sheriff’s Department, the girl told investigators that the relationship began when she was still attending Lorbeer as an eighth grade student. The victim stated that Andrews provided his cell phone number to students so they could reach him with school-related questions, and during the 2010-2011 school year, she struck up a friendship with him. The relationship escalated into the suspect having sexual intercourse with the victim between April and September of this year. The acts were discovered by an assistant principal, who called the Sheriff’s Department.

Lorbeer Middle School is part of the Pomona Unified School District, and according to Superintendent Richard Martinez, Andrews was placed on administrative leave before he was arrested.

“We sent a letter to all parents, which went home in the mail because we didn’t want to send it home with students, the same day he was arrested,” Martinez said. “We wanted to make sure parents had an understanding of what we were dealing with, so they could talk to their kids.”

Counselors were available to speak with students and staff, and according to Martinez, some parents did call to say they were pleased with how the announcement was handled.

“It was done quickly and in essence privately,” he said. “We also put out a phone blast to all parents through Parent Connect, which indicated that the letter was forthcoming. We wanted to make sure that they were aware and knew how to contact us for support. Safety is definitely crucial for us, and we want to be sure kids feel safe.”

If anyone has any further information on this case or is a victim, they are asked to call the Special Victim’s 24-hour telephone line at 877-710-5273.