St. Paul's teacher arrested, accused of molesting 13-year-old student
A St. Paul's School literature teacher could face prison time after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage student for several months.
On Wednesday, Visalia police were alerted that a girl at St. Paul's School and her teacher, Jeremy Hanson, 41, were having an inappropriate relationship. Sex crimes detectives took over the case and began looking into the claims.
Detectives found evidence that Hanson sexually assaulted the middle-schooler at least three times over the last several months. It's unclear who reported the alleged abuse or what evidence was handed over to police.
Around 2:45 p.m. Thursday, detectives raided the middle school teacher's home in the 3100 block of West Connelly Avenue, the homes behind Walmart Neighborhood Market. Detectives also searched the teacher's classroom. After scouring for clues, searching the man's phone and seizing evidence, Hanson was arrested.
Hanson, a former Tulare Union AVID teacher, was booked on suspicion of sexual assault, fondling a child and various offenses. His bail was set at $300,000 and he's expected in court Tuesday, if he doesn't post bail.
St. Paul's, a private school without union representation, placed Hanson on administrative leave, according to teachers. School officials will conduct an internal investigation into the teacher and any other students who may have been victimized.
Teachers said Thursday night that they're "shocked" and expect to spend Friday counseling children. One teacher said she believes the news will force some parents to keep students home, possibly through the end of the school year − May 26.
All mention of Hanson or his classes have been removed from the private school's website. He describes himself on LinkedIn as: "I’m a teacher / analyst / strategist / designer / manager / other-duties-as-assigned. I'm trusted with the "What should I do?" and "What does this mean?" questions."
He claims to have worked at St. Paul's since 2019 and volunteered as an AYSO soccer coach, according to LinkedIn. He graduated Chico State University with a degree in psychology and didn't get into teaching until 2017 when he began teaching English and AVID at Tulare Union.
St. Paul’s has been a staple in Northwest Visalia, off Goshen Avenue since 1987. The kindergarten - eighth-grade school offers a religious curriculum along with chapel services weekly, a library, science labs, garden spaces, an art studio, and large outdoor play areas, their website states.
Detectives are urging anyone who may know more about Hanson or his alleged crimes to come forward to Detective Samantha Gonzales at 713-4576 or Sgt. Nate Flaws at 713-4092. Anonymous tips can be made at 713-4738.
As many as one in 10 students is a victim of some type of sexual misconduct by a teacher before graduating high school, according to the Innocent Lives Foundation. A 2017 study found that victims are often targeted because of their living situations.
"Those most likely to fall victim to sexual misconduct by a school employee are female high school students that come from low-income backgrounds," the foundation's study found. "Often, the targeted students appear needy, get picked on, or have an unhappy home life."
Among reports that examined sexual misconduct at schools, 17% of victims were students with special needs, the study found.
"The same characteristics of teacher-student relationships that help create a successful educational environment can also create a potentially exploitative situation," the Office of Justice Programs stated in a 2017 report.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: St. Paul's teacher arrested, accused of molesting 13-year-old student
