Special Education Assistant Daniel Garcia, 20, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of alleged sexual misconduct. He is scheduled to appear in court on June 8 to set a preliminary hearing.  

Garcia was arrested on May 3 and arraigned on May 5. The Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) distributed a letter on May 4 informing students and parents about alleged sexual misconduct involving a school employee. Garcia’s name was released two days later in a follow up letter to put to rest any questions students and parents had.

According to court documents and the Los Angeles Police Department, Garcia is charged with one count of California penal code section 289(H) which states that “any person who participates in an act of sexual penetration with another person who is under 18 years of age shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison or in a country jail for a period of not more than one year.”

He is also charged with penal code section 647.6(A)(1) which states “every person who annoys or molests any children under 18 years of age shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.”

The alleged sexual misconduct is alleged to have occurred on Nov. 26, 2014. Garcia began working at DPMHS in the fall of 2014. He was a one-on-one aide to a student in a wheelchair. Garcia was transferred to another school in September 2015 since the student he was assigned to did not return to DPMHS for the 2015-2016 school year.

Since the case is still under investigation, Principal Deb Smith declined to comment on Garcia. The  school  district also declined to release any information until the investigation is finished.

Garcia’s next court appearance will be on June 8 at 8:30 a.m. at the Van Nuys Courthouse.

Marcelina Vergara contributed to this report.