Ex teacher convicted of child sex abuse

DOWNEY - A 41-year-old Downey man was convicted Wednesday of sexually abusing two teenage girls while he worked as a physical education instructor at an East L.A. middle school.Antonio Gomez was convicted by a jury of 12 counts of lewd acts upon a child. Jurors also found true an allegation that Gomez had "substantial" sexual conduct with one victim under age 14. Judge Lance Ito remanded Gomez into custody without bail. He is expected to be sentenced on June 27 and faces a maximum penalty of 22 years in prison. The offenses, which allegedly took place between June 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006, involve two former students who at the time were 13 and 15. Gomez taught physical education at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School in East L.A.

********** Published: May 31, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 07