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Danielle Matko, a 35-year-old California teacher, was convicted of performing sexual acts on a teenage student at her East Palo Alto school classroom.
Matko, 35, an English teacher from Belmont, California, was found guilty on four counts stemming from sexual encounters she had with a 15-year-old East Palo Alto Aspire Phoenix Academy student in 2015.
Teaching English at East Palo Alto Aspire Phoenix Academy at the time of her arrest during December 2015, Matko was convicted of one count of oral copulation with a minor and three counts of lewd acts on a minor age 14 or 15.
The allegations against Matko came to light after the involved students told friends about the incidents, which lead to one of those friends contacting an attorney, who then notified authorities.
Matko denied the allegations and did not testify during the trial.
via Mercury News:
The jury is expected to continue deliberations Wednesday on two additional charges, including one accusation regarding a second student. Matko is facing a sentence of about six years behind bars and will have to register as a sex offender, according to San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti.
All of the purported crimes are believed to have taken place between Sept. 1 and Nov. 14, 2015 in Matko’s classroom, during free periods and after school, authorities said. Prosecutors say Matko was talking with one of the boys in her classroom when she showed her bare breasts and allowed the student to touch them. She also touched the boy sexually, according to prosecutors. On another occasion, she performed oral copulation on the boy.
One key piece of evidence against Matko as a cell phone picture of Matko’s naked body taken by one of the students.
If convicted, Malto faces up to six years in prison and will also have to register as a sex offender.
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office
