Sting Operation Targets Riverside County School Psychologist

RIVERSIDE, CA — A Riverside County school psychologist accused of child sex crimes was arraigned Tuesday.

Paul Ryan Coleman, 46, of Yucaipa, is charged with attempted child molestation, arranging to meet a minor for sex, and arranging to meet with a minor for sexual gratification. He pled not guilty to all charges.

The Riverside County District Attorney's Office alleges that Coleman exchanged hundreds of sexually explicit messages with an undercover investigator posing as a 13-year-old child.

Following a three-month investigation into Coleman, a law enforcement sting was orchestrated: On March 12, Coleman traveled from his Yucaipa home to Riverside to meet with what he believed to be was a child. It was a ruse, and Coleman was instead arrested by members of the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team.

Coleman was employed as a licensed school psychologist in the Nuview Union School District and at the Nuview Bridge Early College High School in Nuevo.

Nuview Union School District issued a statement to parents, which said Coleman submitted his resignation last month and will not be employed with the district in the coming school year, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

Coleman's next court hearing is scheduled for March 26.

Anyone with additional information about the case or who believes they are a victim is encouraged to contact Riverside District Attorney Senior Investigator Edwin Tapia, edwintapia@rivcoda.org.