Tutor Allegedly Molested Students At Anaheim-Area Family Resource Center For Years
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – A 47-year-old man was charged Friday with sexually assaulting two male underage students he tutored in an after-school program in unincorporated Anaheim.
Zeta Dhanapanth was arrested Wednesday and faces a dozen counts of lewd acts with a minor younger than 14, according to court records. His arraignment was rescheduled for March 22 in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana.
Dhanapanth was arrested at his home on Wednesday and is being held on $1 million bail.
A 16-year-old boy contacted sheriff's investigators in February, alleging he was molested between the ages of 10 and 13 when he was in the after-school program at Anaheim Independencia Center, according to the sheriff's department.
The boy alleged Dhanapanth molested him on a regular basis at the center and in a van parked near the school. A second 16-year-old was subsequently identified and also alleges he was molested by the suspect at the tutoring center when he was younger, according to a sheriff's statement.
Dhanapanth was a volunteer at the center from 2012 through 2016, tutoring students in English and math. He is also self-employed as a private tutor and sought out students by passing out flyers on the doors of residences where he lives, sheriff's investigators said.
"Due to Dhanapanth having continued access and contact with children over the past six years, investigators believe there may be additional victims," according to the sheriff's statement.
Anyone with information relevant to the investigation was asked to contact the sheriff's Special Victims Unit at 714-647-7419.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)