Update includes a statement issued by Castaic Union School District officials on Thursday.
A Castaic Elementary School teacher charged with four counts of child molestation last year was cleared of all charges Wednesday, according to a spokesperson with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Sponsored Articles
Three counts against Joshua Mark Levine, 43, of Canyon Country, were dismissed after a jury found him not guilty of the fourth count, said Ricardo Santiago of the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
The dismissal came after the jury was “hung” on the remaining counts, with one person voting guilty and 11 people voting not guilty, Santiago added.
Levine was accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior with four female students under the age of 10 on school grounds during the 2014 – 2015 school year.
Detectives with the Special Victims Bureau launched an investigation into the allegations in April 2015, and Levine was arrested and charged with four counts of child molestation on May 14, 2015. He plead not guilty to the charges against him on June 30, 2015.
Related: Castaic Elementary Teacher Accused Of Child Molestation Pleads Not Guilty
Officials from the Castaic Union School District issued the following statement on behalf of Superintendent Steve Doyle on Thursday:
Now that the criminal trial of Mr. Levine has concluded, the District’s Board of Trustees must consider the same facts in light of very different legal issues, tests and procedures. The focus is not on the teacher’s intent, but on the well-being of students.
The District follows mandated reporting policies established by state law in instances of inappropriate touching of children. The District Attorney’s Office, not the school district, makes an independent decision based on all of the evidence whether to initiate a criminal prosecution.
In a criminal trial, a decision must be made as to whether a defendant had intent to obtain sexual gratification from misconduct with children that includes inappropriate touching.
Under the California Education Code and the extensive case law concerning dismissal of permanent teachers, the legal issue is whether the teacher’s conduct toward children for whom he is charged with providing a safe and appropriate learning environment negatively impacted students or had other negative impacts on the school community. Unlike criminal charges, school districts must determine issues such as whether the conduct was immoral, dishonest, demonstrates the teacher’s evident unfitness for service, or whether the teacher persistently violated school or District rules or state law by his conduct.
It is the responsibility of the District’s governing board to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for our students. The Board will take all of these factors into account when it meets on Tuesday to decide “next steps.”
Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.
Thank goodness justice prevails. So sad his name had to be dragged through the mud and so many judged without knowing anything about him or the case.
It’s about time. Mr. Levine has always been nothing but professionalism his behavior towards children. He has been an outstanding teacher. I have had the honor of watching him work with children on different projects by just passing thru the class when my son was younger. It was amazing what creativity he had come up with to teach his students. And never once was he inappropriate with any student.
Guilty until proven innocent. That’s how our system works, especially while investigating such serious accusations. I hope and pray that the jury was right on this one. There is so much evidence that the jury is not permitted to know, for one reason or another. Again, I hope that he truly is innocent. I also hope that the District’s Board of Trustees makes appropriate decisions. Obviously, he’d have a hard time working as a teacher anywhere again. No matter what the jury says, I wouldn’t put my child in a room alone with anyone who was ever accused of such heinous crime and I think most parents are like I am. Who would want to take that kind of chance? I feel for the innocent who are accused of child molestation because there’s really no coming back from it.
ugh…I have too much information…stay away from MY family.
I’m actually a student from his class from about maybe 5 years ago maybe six. I wanted to see how this was going to end or if it ever ended but. I remember things…alot. This is just wrong, being professional should be picking up my classmates and puttinf them on your lap. This is just what i remember, i was right next to the girl when it happened
Leave a 1 in chat if this is a W or L.