A San Jose middle school teacher has been arrested on suspicion of having inappropriate sexual communications on social media with a 14-year-old student at a nearby high school, police announced Thursday.
Trae Devonte Owens, a 29-year-old man living in Hollister and working at Hoover Middle School in San Jose, allegedly contacted the female student at Lincoln High School on social media and carried out inappropriate communications for three weeks, police said.
During that time, Owens allegedly asked for inappropriate images from the girl and made arrangements to pick her up, according to police. He did pick the girl up at least one time and drove her to school.
Officers learned about the case last Friday and obtained an arrest warrant for Owens, who was taken into custody Sunday in the city of Hollister. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail, police said.
San Jose Unified School District officials said they worked with police after receiving a tip "that a current employee may have engaged in unacceptable behavior involving a student."
Additional counselors will be available at both Hoover Middle School and Lincoln High School this week, according to the district.
"Students are often the first ones who notice inappropriate behavior. It takes a tremendous amount of courage and confidence to report something you know is wrong. Safeguarding the health and safety of our students, employees, and community requires each of us to speak up when something is not right, to support others that are in need, and to work together to address challenges," the school district said in their announcement about the arrest. "We appreciate everyone who helped us respond so quickly."
Anyone with information about the case or any other similar incidents are encouraged to contact Detective O’Grady (#4290) at 4290@sanjoseca.gov or call 408-537-1381.
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For those wishing to remain anonymous, you can submit crime tips by using the P3TIPS mobile app, calling the tip line at 408-947-STOP or going to www.svcrimestoppers.org.
