A teacher with the Guadalupe Union School District was recently placed on administrative leave after he was arrested on suspicion of engaging in lewd conduct in San Luis Obispo.
James Ungricht, a math teacher at Kermit McKenzie Junior High School, was arrested after Cal Poly San Luis Obispo police investigated reports of the suspect committing “lewd acts” in the university’s library on Oct. 3, according to Cal Poly Director of Media Relations Matt Lazier.
Although Lazier declined to comment on Ungricht’s specific alleged actions, illegal lewd conduct, according to the California Penal Code 647(a), happens when a person engages in sexual actions in a public space and is a misdemeanor charge.
Cal Poly police arrested Ungricht on the university campus on Oct. 18, weeks after the initial reports. Lazier said university police transported Ungricht to San Luis Obispo County Jail that day and the teacher is not allowed on the college campus at this time.
Ungricht is also not allowed on Guadalupe Union School District property, according to Superintendent Ed Cora, who released a written statement regarding the teacher on Nov. 15. The teacher is also no longer listed as a staff member on the school’s website.
“Although the issues are being investigated by the district, there is no evidence suggesting that the teacher’s conduct involves district schools or students,” Cora said in the statement. “The district will take all necessary and advisable steps to assure student safety while the investigation proceeds, including cooperating with law enforcement, and we will keep the teacher on leave and off campus until the conclusion of the investigation.”
Cora said employment and privacy rights prevent him and other district administrators from commenting further on the investigation.
Ungricht pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor count of engaging in lewd conduct in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Nov. 12, according to the The Tribune, which also reported that the teacher is out of custody on $10,000 bail.
This article appears in Nov 23-30, 2017.