Student Sexually Abused By School Aide Sues Santa Ana Unified
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — A victim of an after-school instructor at a Santa Ana elementary school has filed suit against the Santa Ana Unified School District, attorneys said Monday.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that school district officials knew Eddy Bustamante Infante, 26, engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with children and failed to tell parents and police. The lawsuit also alleges that the Santa Ana man "sexually harassed, abused and molested" an 8-year-old victim in the spring of 2015 through 2016.
That abuse took place in classrooms and on the campus of Greenville Fundamental School, where Infante tutored students after school, according to the lawsuit.
"This tragedy was preventable by Greenville Fundamental School and the Santa Ana Unified School District," Morgan Stewart, an attorney for the victim, said. "They had ample warning that Infante was a danger to children, yet they concealed this information from my clients and other parents. They failed to properly hire, train or supervise Infante."
Infante worked as an after-school teacher at Greenville Fundamental School from 2015 until his arrest in October 2018 on suspicion of sexually assaulting three girls. Another victim came forward saying Infante sexually assaulted her when she was 6 years old.
Infante pleaded guilty last December to four counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14. A fifth count of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14 and a count of oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child 10 years or younger were dismissed.
Infante was sentenced in February to 12 years in prison for molesting four girls.
A spokesperson for the district declined comment on the lawsuit to City News Service.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
