Woodland Hills Teacher Charged with Molesting Boys

LOS ANGELES, CA - A special education assistant was being held in lieu of $3 million bail today on charges of sexually abusing two boys over a six- year period.

Joaquin Diaz Orgaz, also known as Joaquin Diaz, 44, of Woodland Hills, was arrested Wednesday and charged two days later with two counts of continuous sexual abuse and one count of kidnapping for child molesting, according to police and prosecutors.

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Friday and is due back in court June 28 in San Fernando.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Diaz sexually abused one boy, now age 19, from Sept. 1, 2009, to Dec. 2, 2014. The second victim, now 11, was allegedly abused from July 1, 2015, to May 20, when he allegedly kidnapped the boy, prosecutors said.

According to the Los Angeles Unified School District, Diaz worked for the district initially as a temporary worker beginning in December 1998, beginning at Valley View Elementary School, where he remained until 2002. He then worked at Portola Middle School from 2002-06, Woodland Hills Academy from 2006-11 and Sunnybrae Elementary School beginning in December 2011.

Police said some of the alleged abuse may have occurred while Diaz was working as a private tutor outside of his work with LAUSD.

LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King said the district is cooperating with the investigation.

"L.A. Unified has worked diligently to provide a secure environment for all students to learn and succeed," King said. "However, a small number of individuals have acted in gross violation of the district's commitment to keep our children safe."

She said the district is creating an advisory committee of LAUSD officials, child protection experts and parents "to examine current practices for safeguarding students and to recommend additional strategies, as needed."

"This committee will move swiftly and build upon the systems we have put in place," King said. "These include enhanced training for recognizing and reporting abuse, the creation of a Student Safety Investigative Team composed of law enforcement veterans and the development of a comprehensive data warehouse that allows the district to better track and document misconduct allegations against employees."

Detectives encouraged parents of students who have had contact with Diaz to speak with their children to ensure there was no inappropriate contact. Anyone with information on the case was asked to contact Devonshire sexual assault detectives at (818) 832-0609.

City News Service; Image LAPD