Peninsula Music Teacher Accused Of Sex Crimes Against Student, 15

SILICON VALLEY, CA – A San Francisco man who worked as a music teacher at a Palo Alto music school has been arrested on suspicion of committing sex crimes against a 15-year-old student, Palo Alto police said Tuesday. According to police, John Patrick Root, 35, taught music part-time at the School of Rock on Middlefield Road, and that is where he came in contact with the alleged victim.

Palo Alto police say another law enforcement agency initially alerted them July 13 about allegations that an after-school Palo Alto music teacher had been sexually abusing a minor student.

The investigation by Palo Alto police allegedly revealed that the suspect was Root, and that the 15-year-old victim had been his student over the past several months.

"The sexual abuse occurred when, on several occasions during that time, the suspect and the victim met at other locations in Palo Alto," police said in a news release.

An arrest warrant for Root was issued July 19, and on July 20, Palo Alto police detectives located him in San Francisco. With the assistance of officers from the San Francisco Police Department, Root was arrested without incident, police said.

Root was transported to Santa Clara County, where he was booked into jail on suspicion of four felony counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor, police said.

Officials with the music school said they notified parents about the investigation and that Root was fired from his position. Palo Alto detectives are working with the school to determine whether there are additional victims.

"Our highest priority is the safety of our students and we immediately engaged with the Police Department to assist in their investigation," said Elliot Baldini, senior vice president of marketing for School of Rock Music. "Our employee safety procedures require all staff and faculty to complete background checks and complete a code of conduct. In this particular case, we completed a background check and the former teacher executed a code of conduct."

Palo Alto police asked anyone with information about the case to 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.

Photo via Palo Alto Police Department