Beltran faces life in prison for allegedly molesting five students
AIRPORT COURTHOUSE Sexual molestation charges were filed on Tuesday against a veteran Lincoln Middle School teacher accused of inappropriate conduct with five female students.
The day after school officials met with parents in a near-capacity auditorium at Lincoln, Thomas Arthur Beltran, 60, was arraigned at the Airport Courthouse on 14 counts of sexual molestation, including eight counts of a lewd act on a child,three counts of continuous sexual abuse and three counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object on a child under 14. His bail was set at $3.3 million.
The married, long-time school teacher, a member of Lincoln Middle School’s staff for 20 of his 30 years in the district, was arrested on Saturday in Culver City, a day after investigators interviewed a 12-year-old student who claimed she was sexually abused. During the interview, detectives concluded that there could possibly be other victims, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
Beltran, a Los Angeles resident, teaches English as a second language at the National Blue Ribbon School. If convicted, Beltran could face life in prison.
The scene at Lincoln Middle School appeared closer to normalcy on Tuesday, the news cameras that swarmed the campus the day before now gone.
Counseling was available on Monday and Tuesday for students experiencing emotional distress. District officials also deployed additional counselors fluent in the prevalent second languages at the school.
Hobkirk said he was pleasantly surprised by the progress at the school during the second day of the aftermath, expecting the reality of the situation to finally set in for the teachers and students.
“I talked to a lot of teachers who said they felt supported yesterday,”Hobkirk said.
Parents filed into the Lincoln auditorium on Monday evening for their first meeting with district and law enforcement officials since Beltran’s arrest. The intent of the gathering was to learn more about the situation, or at least what could legally be divulged, a result of the sensitivity of the case.
Imprinted high above the heads of the parents and administrator were the words of the school’s namesake,to “teach hope to all,despair to none.”
It seemed apt to the reaction of the community.
“This has touched each and every one of us in our community in some way,” Principal Tristan Komlos said in her address to the parents.“We’re here tonight to come together as a group, as a community, as stakeholders in the Lincoln community.”
Officials explained the response plan instituted following the arrest, which included keeping the school open and holding state assessment tests as scheduled, a move that was criticized by some parents who felt the students would be distracted.
“It was a very good day,”
“The energy of the day was very positive.” — Assistant Principal Carl Hobkirk said
Superintendent Dianne Talarico explained that she wanted to keep the day as normal as possible for students.
“We did what we thought was in the best interest of students at the time,”she said.
The questions submitted by parents ran the gamut, from inquiries about background checks on employees to advice on how parents should discuss the situation to their children. Some parents asked for more specifics in the case, such as whether any teachers might have known about the alleged abuses. Specifics could not be disclosed because it is a personnel matter, district officials said.
The district runs a live scan of fingerprints for all potential employees before they are hired, according to Mike Matthews, the assistant superintendent for human resources.
Ray Doktor, a therapist in Santa Monica who specializes in sexual abuse recovery, said that girls at the middle-school age could develop trust issues when they see that an adult whom they were supposed to trust takes advantage of another student.
“What has to be clear is in whatever process takes place with support groups is the girls are able to express themselves and realize it was just this one adult,”Doktor said.“It’s not everyone.”
Don and Yeshi Farber, who attended the meeting on Tuesday, said their daughter, who was not a student of Beltran’s,has dealt with the situation well. The couple said they have talked to their daughter about being careful in any encounter, whether it’s a boy or an adult.
“The kids seem to be in a safe situation at school,”Don Farber said.“They’re able to focus on studying.”
Many parents expressed their confidence in the school, keeping their perception of Lincoln intact.
“This school is the shining star of the district,” Rose Nelson, a parent of an eighth grader,said.“This news is devastating,but it will not destroy this community.”
Doktor said that traumatic situations can often serve as a wake-up call.
“I feel as though a lot of people are somewhat asleep until things like this happen,” Doktor said.“I think it makes them want to talk to their kids a lot more and figure out what is going on.”
Lynn Leavitt, the PTA president at Lincoln, said she hasn’t lost faith in the school that one of her children attends.
She said she had met Beltran in the past, describing the teacher as knowledgeable and kind, suffering a great loss when his daughter died a few years ago. Her children were not in Beltran’s classes.
“My son is very successful at Samohi and I feel that is very much because of (Lincoln),” Leavitt said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 7, 2008. Read the original PDF.