Written by Julieta Soto. Photo by Willem Quigley

The Coronado Police Department has launched a “possible child pornography” investigation into a late May controversy involving a Coronado High School staff member and “inappropriate” material sent to students, The Coronado News has learned following a series of public records requests.

Meanwhile, the Coronado School Board has scheduled a special meeting Tuesday afternoon regarding a personnel issue.

The Coronado Police Department on Friday, Aug. 11, in response to a public records demand from the newspaper’s attorney, said it was not releasing all of the documents from the May 24 incident because “the request is for records relating to an active law enforcement investigation of possible child pornography where disclosure may harm investigative efforts.”

However, the police did disclose an “information report” to the newspaper.

It showed the agency was investigating sexual exploitation of a minor with “masturbation for the purpose of sexual stimulation for the viewer,” and sending or selling obscene matter depicting a minor.

The police blacked out the name of the suspect as well as other identifying information, such as the person’s address, height, weight, age range and home phone number from the May 24 report provided to The Coronado News.

That report also blacked out the name of the reporting party and witness to the incident.

At least 34 possible criminal violations

The Police Department’s recent communication with The Coronado News, which came after the newspaper threatened to sue the city for violating the California Public Records Act, also stated that disclosure of all of the records sought by the newspaper was not required to be released.

That’s because police said the case “potentially involves” at least 34 possible criminal sections that were listed.

The possible crimes, according to state statutes reviewed by The Coronado News, include rape, sex with someone under 18, fraudulently procuring a minor to have sex with someone, child molestation… continuous sexual abuse of a minor under 14 occurring from someone who resides in the same house as child or has regular access to child.

-State laws cited in Coronado Police Department Letter to The Coronado News.

The possible crimes, according to state statutes reviewed by The Coronado News, include rape, sex with someone under 18, fraudulently procuring a minor to have sex with someone, child molestation, carnal abuse of a child, contacting a minor with the intent of committing a sex crime, continuous sexual abuse of a minor under 14 occurring from someone who resides in the same house as child or has regular access to child, penetration of a victim with a foreign object and hate crimes.

The letter did not specify which crimes—most of which are felonies that carry years in prison—may have occurred. The police department declined to comment.

It’s unclear if any arrests have been made.

Parents and students told The Coronado News in late May that pictures, videos and screenshots of a shirtless male who resembled a high school administrator were shared among smart phones of students and copies were placed on bathroom walls.

It remains unclear how the photos were sent to the students, and some students said the pictures reached Coronado Middle School students as well.

Conflicting information, special meeting

The school district on May 24 — the day of the incident — placed the employee, who has not been identified, on paid administrative leave and said in a statement that day that the investigation “does not involve any CUSD student/s.”

District officials on Aug. 14 declined to answer questions as to how the police records from May 24 appear to contradict the district’s statement from that day.

Maria Simon, the district spokesperson and a former school board president, has repeatedly told The Coronado News that “personnel matters are confidential.”

However, the governing board on Aug. 14 — several hours after The Coronado News sought comment on the new police records it had obtained — called for a special meeting for 3 p.m. on Aug. 15, at the District Offices, 201 Sixth St.

Among the issues is to discuss are personnel matters related to releases, resignations, discipline, dismissals, reassignments and non-reelections. The board is allowing time for public comment.

Original requests from Coronado News

The Coronado News in early July filed public records requests with the police and school district related to the case as no additional public announcements had been shared with the community regarding the situation.

The police department then provided a Computer Aided Dispatch Report page of a suspicious circumstances notice occuring at Coronado High School on May 24.

The agency also told The Coronado News that information about the ongoing investigation remained confidential.

Coronado Unified has not made any updates since May 24, and on July 14 it declined to release any records, saying that withholding records outweighs disclosure because the case was ongoing.

Further, the district said it objected to releasing the documents because it would constitute an invasion of personal privacy involving complaints or investigations against public employees.

Legal Specialist

The Coronado News then hired California Public Records Act specialist Felix Tinkov, an attorney who then sent demand letters to the police and district earlier this month for disclosable records responsive to The Coronado News’ original request.

Tinkov, who has been successful in obtaining public records for other San Diego media outlets against government entities, also informed the Coronado School District and Police Department that they violated several state public records laws and case laws by withholding many of documents sought by The Coronado News.

Tinkov told the city it improperly relied upon a “investigatory file exemption” to withhold information for which records must be disclosed.

Meanwhile, Tinkov’s letter to the school district indicated that if “certain records were to, for instance, identify minors, or identify a public employee against whom false allegations were made, that information should be redacted while the balance is produced.”

Tinkov also informed the district and police that The Coronado News was prepared to sue the government entities and seek legal fees from them if they did not comply with the California Public Records Act requests.

Some police records released

In response to his demand, the law enforcement agency said that relevant police investigative files and official information of the open investigation remains confidential.

However, the police department did release three pages of new records late last week.

One document, the information report, stated the case involved “sexual exploit minor: masturbation” and “send/sell/etc obscene matter depicting minor” as reported offenses.

In a phone call on Aug. 14, The Coronado Police Department Records & Permits department told The Coronado News that no further questions would be answered regarding the case except through attorneys.

Sofie Fransen contributed. This article originally appeared in The Coronado News. View it aquí.