LOS ANGELES (TCN) — Police are seeking additional victims and potential witnesses after a school guidance counselor at a private religious school allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old student earlier this year.
The Los Angeles Police Department alleges that 37-year-old Julie Tichon committed the crimes against the underage victim between February and March.
Detective Russ Hess said the guidance counselor at YULA High School, a modern Orthodox Jewish school, “used her position of responsibility to gain these victims’ trust, then began inappropriate sexual relationships with them.” Huss continued, “Rather than advising them, she was abusing them.”
Police said Tichon has since left the school.
On Sept. 19, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged her with three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of oral copulation of a person under 18.
Tichon faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison if convicted. Tichon appeared in court for her arraignment on Sept. 19 and pleaded not guilty, and she was released on her own recognizance.
District Attorney George Gascón said, “Educators and school staff have a fundamental duty to create a safe environment for all students, and when that trust is broken, it affects the entire community. Our office is dedicated to seeking justice for the victim and holding this individual fully accountable. To every victim and family affected by such crimes, please know that we stand with you and will continue to fight for your safety and justice.”
Investigators believe there may be “other students who have yet to come forward who could potentially add to this criminal case.”