Crime & Safety

Rock Music Teacher Arrested For Sexual Assault In South OC, Cops Say

This South Orange County former rock music teacher was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — A Rancho Santa Margarita former rock-n-roll music teacher was behind bars Friday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, Orange County Sheriff's Department said.

Christian Hernandez, a 30-year-old Rancho Santa Margarita resident, was arrested Thursday, according to Orange County Sheriff's Department Lt. Lane Lagaret. Reports say that Hernandez was fired from the Los Rios School Of Rock, where he had worked since 2011, as soon as allegations were made.

"Hernandez began working at the music school in 2011 but was fired when the allegations first arose," Lagaret said. "The now 17-year-old victim, who was 15-years-old at the time of the alleged assault, recently reported the incident to investigators."

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A former teacher at the Los Rios Rock School, Hernandez also provided private lessons outside of the school according to officials.

"We got rid of him as soon as we could and immediately went down to the sheriff's station to report it," said Tyler Marolf, one of the school's owners.

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Due to Hernandez's lengthy time working with minors and his potential exposure to numerous youths, the Orange County Sheriff's Department Special Victims Detail believes more victims of Hernandez could be out there, Lagaret said.

One such incident, a 20-year-old woman reported inappropriate conduct by Hernandez, when she was 16-years-old. No charges have been filed in that case.

Both victims contend the alleged attacks occurred between two and five years ago, authorities said.

Anyone with information was asked to call investigators at (714) 647-7419 or (714) 647-7000.

Correction: The first version of this story stated a wrong name for the school in question. The name of the school is Los Rios Rock School.

OCSD photo

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