Former Ojai private school teacher extradited from Hawaii, faces sexual assault charges
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Oak Grove School received Wednesday morning.
A former Ojai private school teacher suspected of sexually assaulting a student over several years was arrested by Ventura County Sheriff's deputies Monday.
Detectives allege Paul Herder, 65, coerced a juvenile student at Oak Grove School into numerous sexual acts and sent "harmful matter to the victim" over the course of an unlawful five-year relationship from August 2013 through June 2017.
Herder appeared in Ventura County Superior Court via video conference on Tuesday morning, court records show. He is scheduled to appear again on Friday morning to be arraigned on 23 felony counts, including multiple charges of unlawful intercourse, other sex-related crimes of a person under 18 and lewd acts with a child.
Two of the charges carry special enhancements that the alleged victim was under the age of 18. Almost all the counts come with a special enhancement alleging that Herder took advantage of a position of trust.
The student was 14 when the alleged relationship began and 17 by the end of time frame being investigated.
Herder worked at Oak Grove from 2004 to 2016, school spokesperson Joel Keeler said in an emailed statement Wednesday morning. The campus combines boarding school and day school programs that serve just under 220 pre-K-12 students.
The former student first reported the allegations to school staff, the statement said, who "immediately" notified law enforcement.
"The safety and well-being of our students are – and always will be – our primary concern," the statement says. "We are profoundly saddened and deeply upset by these allegations and grateful to this alum for their tremendous bravery in stepping forward with this information."
Keeler wrote that the school couldn't comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
Detectives said they were alerted to the case in February and by June had tracked Herder to Pahoa, Hawaii. Sheriff's deputies worked with detectives from the Hawaii Police Department to arrest him before extraditing him to Ventura County on Monday.
Herder remains in custody on $1.1 million bail, detectives said. His bail will be reviewed during his Friday court appearance.
The sheriff's Major Crimes Unit was first alerted to the sexual assault allegations in February 2023. Investigators say school faculty cooperated throughout their investigation and were "instrumental in providing requested information."
The man has an "extensive" history as a teacher and private tutor, working from Ojai to Hawaii, England, Panama and Thailand, detectives said.
Detectives said they believe that Herder may have had additional victims. If any school personnel or member of the public has any information regarding Herder or this case, please contact Detective Nicole Grover of the Major Crimes Bureau, Sexual Assault Unit at 805-384-4722 or nicole.grover@ventura.org.
Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ex-Ojai teacher extradited from Hawaii, faces sexual assault charges
