Trial Date Set for Steven Andrews

A trial date for a former Lorbeer Middle School teacher accused of committing lewd acts against a 14-year-old student has been set for March 1.

Steven Andrews, 42, appeared in Pomona Superior Court briefly Monday morning while the attorneys on the case agreed to upcoming dates.  A pre-trial readiness hearing also was set for Feb. 27.

Andrews surrendered to Walnut/Diamond Bar Sheriff’s Station deputies on Sept. 30, 2011. He faces 17 charges, including 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. He pleaded not guilty in November 2011.

Judge Tia Fisher met in her chambers with an attorney representing the Pomona Unified School District regarding statements of a potential witness in the case.

Fisher said she found no criminal liability issues in the written statement the witness made from her initial review.  She ordered Sarah Williams, the attorney representing Pomona Unified to provide under seal any statements the witness made.  She asked the prosecutor Debra Scott to provide the witness' written statement so that the court could evaluate and compare the interview with the school district with the one with the District Attorney's office.

In October, defense lawyer Paul Potter filed a motion to have the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office removed from trying his case, but that effort was unsuccessful.

Andrews remains in custody on $450,000 bail at the Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles.