Longtime Santa Ana teacher arrested after 4 female students at Adams Elementary School report "inappropriate" touching

A substitute teacher who taught at Santa Ana Unified School District schools for 18 years faces charges of sexually molesting four female students at Adams Elementary School, Santa Ana police said Friday.

Peter Morales, 69, was arrested on May 6 after officers went to Adams Elementary School, 2130 S. Raitt St., to investigate allegations that he had molested four students while in the classroom.

The students were all girls between the ages of 8 and 9. They told school officials Morales touched them inappropriately separately, and at different times throughout the day, in a classroom, according to Santa Ana police officials.

Morales was a teacher for the Santa Ana Unified School District for 18 years, and now works as a substitute teacher. He was booked on suspicion of child molestation, but was released after posting $100,000 bail. According to Orange County sheriff's jail records, a court date has not been scheduled in his case.

Anyone with more information can contact Santa Ana police Detective Anthony Pacheco at (714) 245-8352 or via email at Apacheco@santa-ana.org.