Southern California school counselor charged with molesting 8 elementary students

A Los Angeles assistant principal was arrested Friday on suspicion of 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 a 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.

David Lane Braff Jr., 42, of Thousand Oaks was arrested Friday.

(Ventura County district attorney’s office)

He has been charged with 17 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 years old and will be arraigned Monday in Ventura County Superior Court, prosecutors said.

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

“The defendant is alleged to have molested multiple elementary school children over a number of years, shattering the trust placed in him by parents, educators and the public,” Ventura County Dist. Atty. 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 launched an investigation into Braff last month, and that effort continues. Prosecutors believe that Braff has worked at other schools in Southern California and may have been a volunteer for youth organizations.

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