A school assistant principal in the Los Angeles region was taken into custody on Friday morning, facing allegations of molesting eight children at an elementary school in Santa Paula, according to prosecutors.
A 42-year-old resident of Thousand Oaks, David Lane Braff Jr., faces 17 felony charges related to inappropriate conduct with a child under the age of 14, as reported by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
Braff served as a school counselor at McKevett Elementary in Santa Paula from 2015 to 2019, according to prosecutors. He faces allegations of inappropriate behavior towards children aged 6 to 10 in a school office setting.
Following the initiation of an investigation by prosecutors and investigators last month, his arrest took place.
Braff is also confronted with specific accusations indicating that the offenses were marked by careful planning and complexity, and that the minors under his supervision were especially at risk.
“We intend to vigorously prosecute this case and encourage others to come forward who may have information about additional victims and crimes,” Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement. “Given the defendant’s history of re-occurring access to children, this investigation and prosecution remains ongoing.”
When he was taken into custody, authorities indicated that Braff held the positions of assistant principal and school counselor at Ingenium Charter Middle School in Winnetka.
“While Braff’s full employment history is not known at this time, it is believed that Braff also worked at other schools in Southern California and may have been a volunteer for youth-oriented organizations,” the Ventura County DA’s office said.
Braff is currently incarcerated at Ventura County jail, where his bail has been established at $3 million.