A former North Orange County Regional Occupation Program (NOCROP) teacher assigned to the Los Alamitos High School campus was arrested Thursday near his home on suspicion of having engaged in an unlawful sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student at Los Alamitos High. Los Alamitos police detectives were able to determine, through victim statements, the teacher had previously engaged the 15-year-old victim in an inappropriate sexual relationship in 2012.
Abdel Chehade, 43, of Huntington Beach was taken into custody subsequent to an arrest warrant issued by the Superior Court and booked at Orange County Jail in Santa Ana. His bail was set at $100,000. Chehade separated from NOCROP in 2012. The investigation into the relationship between Chehade and victim, Jane Doe, began in October 2012 following an anonymous tip provided to high school officials and police.
Although police detectives were able to establish that a relationship between Chehade and Jane Doe existed, they were unable to determine whether or not the relationship included sexual acts. It is thought that the sexual relationship between Chehade and Jane Doe began in May 2012 and culminated in October. The investigation remained open, and in March of this year Jane Doe confided to police detectives that she and Chehade had engaged in unlawful sex acts, according to a release by Los Alamitos Police.
The investigation remains ongoing and police are looking into the possibility there may be more victims. If anyone has additional information, they are encouraged to contact the Los Alamitos Police Department Detective Bureau at 562-431-2255, extension 405.