San Diego sheriff's detectives arrested a woman on Wednesday who now stands accused of having a sexual relationship with a student at Mar Vista High School, in Imperial Beach.
Investigators were summoned by patrol deputies Monday, who had been called about allegations against Lisette Ortega Veles, 31, who detectives believe committed sexual assault on a 17-year-old.
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WATCH HEREOrtega was at Mar Vista as a contracted student support aide, but her employer is actually Ro Health, an independent contractor hired by the school, SDSO said in a news release issued on Wednesday.
Detectives concluded that they had probable cause that Ortega had oral sex with the victim, who is a minor, as well as sexual intercourse. She may also be charged with having sex with a minor who is more than three years younger, as well as arranging to meet with the teen for the purposes of committing a lewd act and attempting to prevent him from cooperating with her prosecution.
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SIGN UP At this point, detectives say the alleged incidents happened off campus within the last year.
Ortega was taken into custody off campus within San Diego County after school officials called SDSO on Monday to investigate, the sheriff's department said.
Ro Health shared the following statement from its CEO Jeff Widmyer with NBC 7:
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"At Ro Health, safety is our top priority. It is our privilege to serve the medically fragile population, and we are committed to doing so with the highest degree of care. As such, we take these allegations extremely seriously. We are doing everything we can to investigate the issue and to respond appropriately.
"We hold student safety as paramount to our mission. Ro Health has a Joint Commission approved employee screening process. In addition to validating competency, we conduct thorough background checks, including DOJ and FBI fingerprint clearance."
The Sweetwater Union High School District also confirmed to NBC 7 that it is "aware of an investigation involving a contracted vendor," adding it is cooperating with law enforcement.
Ortega has been booked into the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility, in Santee, authorities said, where she is being held on $250,000 bail and is due in court in Chula Vista on Friday.
Anyone with information about the case is being asked to call SDSO at (858) 285-6112. Tips can also be called in anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
