A May 27 preliminary hearing date was set today for a La Quinta High School teacher accused of having sex with a 17-year-old female student.
David Armenta, 30, of Indio, is facing three felony charges – two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of oral copulation with a minor. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The hearing will determine if there is enough evidence to order him to stand trial.
The teacher was put on unpaid administrative leave when school administrators were informed of the investigation two months ago, Desert Sands Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Sherry Johnstone has said.
Police came to the high school to interview Armenta around 11 a.m. Feb. 4 and he was sent home immediately after, La Quinta High School principal Donna Salazar said at the time of his Feb. 7 arrest.
Armenta’s teaching credential was suspended as of April 1, when the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges, according to Lee Pope, general counsel for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
If he is convicted of a sex offense, Armenta’s credentials will be permanently revoked, Pope said.
After the criminal case is resolved, the school district will conduct its own investigation and make a determination about his status at La Quinta
High School, where he is a 10th- and 11th-grade history teacher, Johnstone said.
Indio police were notified Feb. 4 that the alleged sexual activity had occurred in that city over a three-day period in January, and an investigation led to Armenta’s arrest at his home in the 47400 block of Bahama Court, Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said.
Armenta has been free on bail since posting a $5,000 bond the day of his arrest.
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