SANTA ANA, Calif. – A former teacher was convicted Wednesday of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. Jeffrey Scott Jones, 56, Huntington Beach, was found guilty by a jury of two felony counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one felony count of continuous sexual abuse. He faces a maximum sentence of 68 years to life in state prison at his sentencing on Nov. 4, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-28, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
At the time of the crime, Jones was working as a teacher for advanced placement English at Libra Academy in Huntington Park. Prior to the crime, the defendant had regular access to children as a teacher for 27 years, including at Bell High School in the City of Bell and Gahr High School in Cerritos. Jane Doe was not one of the defendant’s students.
Between Sept. 1, 2012, and April 30, 2013, Jones, who held a position of trust, frequently and continuously sexually assaulted 13-year-old Jane Doe. On May 4, 2013, and May 9, 2013, Jones raped the victim, stating that he would ruin her life if she told anyone what he was doing. The victim went to a friend’s home and the defendant went to get her. The friend’s mother refused to allow the defendant to take Jane Doe.
In May 2013, the crime was reported to the Huntington Beach Police Department, who investigated the case and arrested Jones at his home on June 27, 2013.
During the trial, a female relative of the victim testified for the defendant and gave an alternative explanation as to how the defendant’s semen was found inside of the victim’s cervix. In rebuttal, evidence was introduced that the defendant had sex with two minor former students for an extended period of time.
After the guilty verdict was read, the defendant was involved in a self-inflicted injurious incident.
