A Marin Catholic High School theology teacher is under investigation by the Oakland Police Department for allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to an underaged church altar server.
According to the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which oversees the high school, Jonathan Chavez has resigned from his teaching position after the allegations surfaced. The claims comes just weeks before Chavez was scheduled to chaperone up to 20 high school students on a religious youth trip to Lisbon, Portugal.
“That’s really frightening. It’s classic behavior by predators. They seek opportunities to be alone and influence these kids,” said Dan McNevin with SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Chavez is not a priest but McNevin says lay church employees and volunteers have also put children at risk in the past.
The Archdiocese of San Francisco told NBC Bay Area plans for the religious youth trip have changed, and Chavez is no longer with the high school.Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter. The alleged inappropriate behavior happened while Chavez, an adult, was volunteering as an alter server at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Oakland, Oakland Diocese officials said. Chavez reportedly sent the texts to another Oakland altar server, who’s underaged, and the child’s parents alerted police and a priest at the parish on April 19.The Diocese of Oakland said the priest made a mandatory report to California’s Child Protest Services.
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