Imperial Beach Teacher Accused of Having Sex With Student

IMPERIAL BEACH, CA: A teacher at Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach has been arrested on suspicion of carrying on a sexual relationship with a female student, sheriff's officials said Monday.

Martin Albert Gallegos, 48 — a substitute ROTC instructor at the school, according to the Sweetwater Union High School District — was taken into custody Saturday by detectives from the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Sexual Assault Unit, sheriff's Lt. Dan Brislin said in a news release.

Brislin said a sheriff's school resource officer received information Friday that a teacher at the school was having a sexual relationship with a female student.

"A preliminary investigation identified the suspect as ... Gallegos," Brislin said. "Detectives from the Sheriff's Sexual Assault Unit conducted an investigation and confirmed Gallegos had engaged in sexual conduct with a female student."

Following his arrest Saturday, Gallegos was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of five counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

Gallegos has since posted bail, Brislin said, and is due in court April 19.

Sheriff's officials did not disclose the age or grade level of the female student.

A spokesman for the Sweetwater Union High School District said Gallegos has been serving as a substitute teacher for the district since fall 2015.

"As far as we are concerned, we are taking immediate action to release him from employment," said Manny Rubio, director of communications for the district.

Rubio told Patch the district is also fully cooperating with the sheriff's investigation.

"This is something really very difficult for us to to hear and we want to make sure we are doing the right thing, so anything we can do to support the sheriff's investigation we are going to do," Rubio said.

Rubio did not immediately know whether Gallegos taught at any other schools in the district besides Mar Vista.

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates.

(Originally posted at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time, April 11, 2016)