A SoCal school counselor has been charged with molesting 8 elementary students

A Los Angeles assistant principal was arrested Friday for allegedly molesting eight young children while working at a Santa Paula elementary school several years ago, authorities said.

David Lane Braff Jr., 42, of Thousand Oaks is accused of molesting eight students ages 6 to 10 in the school office at McKevett Elementary School, where he worked as a counselor from 2015 to 2019, according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office. At the time of his arrest, Braff was an assistant principal and school counselor at Ingenium Charter Middle School in Winnetka, prosecutors said.

He was charged with 17 counts of lewd behavior toward a child under the age of 14 and will appear Monday in Ventura County Superior Court, prosecutors said.

He is being held in the Ventura County Jail on $3-million bail, prosecutors said.

“The defendant is accused of molesting elementary school children for many years, losing the trust of parents, teachers and the community,” Ventura County Dist. He said. Erik Nasarenko said in a statement. “We intend to vigorously prosecute this case and encourage others to come forward who may have information about additional victims and crimes.”

The district attorney’s office and the Santa Paula Police Department began an investigation into Braff last month, and that effort is ongoing. Prosecutors believe Braff worked at other schools in Southern California and may have volunteered for youth organizations.

Anyone who believes they have been victimized, or who witnessed suspicious behavior, is encouraged to contact Greg Webb, an investigator with the Ventura County district attorney’s office, at (805) 477-1627regardless of whether the incident occurred in Ventura County.