A counselor at an Orthodox Jewish school in California has been charged with sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy, and police warn there are likely more victims.
Los Angeles police arrested Julie Tichon, 37, on Aug. 29 for “a series of sexual assaults” against the boy between February and March at YULA Middle School.
Tichon was indicted on Sept. 19 on three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of oral copulation with a person under the age of 18.
She pleaded not guilty to all charges and has since left her job, police said.
Tichon worked as a guidance counselor at the West Los Angeles school, which describes itself as a “Modern Orthodox Yeshiva high school.”
Los Angeles police arrested Julie Tichon (pictured), 37, on Aug. 29 for “a series of sexual assaults” against the boy between February and March at YULA High School.
The Los Angeles Police Department is now warning there could be more victims and detectives have reached out to the public for anyone with information to come forward.
“The suspect used her position of responsibility to gain the trust of these victims and then began engaging in inappropriate sexual relationships with them,” Detective Russ Hess said.
“Instead of advising them, he mistreated them.”
At least one other YULA student has reported “an inappropriate relationship of a sexual nature” with a female employee, according to a May 28 report in a Jewish publication. Forward.
The newspaper said the school’s principal, Rabbi Arye Sufrin, wrote an email to the school community saying they had received allegations from two students about an unnamed female staff member.
“It is beyond comprehension and beyond devastating that students are faced with this situation,” Sufrin wrote in the email, adding that she had referred the incidents to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Tichon worked as a school counselor at YULA High School in West Los Angeles, which describes itself as a “Modern Orthodox Yeshiva high school.”
Tichon was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center and released ahead of her scheduled court appearance on Nov. 1.
If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
“Educators and school staff have a fundamental duty to create a safe environment for all students, and when that trust is broken, it impacts the entire community,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.
‘Our office is dedicated to seeking justice for the victim and holding this individual fully accountable.’
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