Jun 14, 2008 8:19 am US/Pacific
Lunch Monitor, 20, Accused Of Sex With Student, 16
MORENO VALLEY
Officials in Riverside County say a 20-year-old woman who was supposed to be a lunchtime monitor was apparently monitoring one student too closely after school.
Angela Palmer, who worked at Lasselle Elementary school for six weeks, was allegedly caught engaging in a sex act with a 16-year-old girl.
Palmer was arrested Tuesday.
Sheriff's Sgt. Jaime Briones said Palmer and the student were caught in a compromising position in a parked vehicle near the intersection of Kitching Street and Camino Carmelina in Moreno Valley around 11:20 p.m. when deputies approached to check suspicious activity.
As the deputies walked up, "the two female occupants sat up immediately and started rearranging their clothes," Briones said in a statement.
"It was learned that Palmer ... and (the) juvenile were engaging in sexual
activities."
Palmer had worked for the district for six weeks, information officer Mike Bazan said.
Summer break began a week ago. "If school was not over, we would pull her in and do an administrative leave," Bazan said, adding that he could not immediately comment on whether the woman would be rehired when school starts.
"This certainly rises to the level of doing a very thorough investigation," he said.
Palmer was arrested on suspicion of child molestation, cited and released at the scene, according to Briones.
The case is under review by the Riverside County District Attorney's
Office, Briones said.
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