SAN LORENZO VALLEY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday arrested a Felton man for several counts of lewd acts with children.
Michael Henderson, 51, was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.
Henderson is a teacher at San Lorenzo Valley High School and a private tutor. Investigators received reports earlier this week, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said.
The assaults took place over a period of time three years ago and did not occur on the SLVHS campus. The victim was taking part in an after-school tutoring program.
In an email to parents, San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District Superintendent Laurie Bruton said that the alleged incident occurred after school hours in a non-district setting.
Bruton added that Henderson has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case.
“This employee will not be returning to the SLV schools at this time,” she said.
According to Bruton, all school employees undergo fingerprinting, which is processed through the Department of Justice before being hired. The DOJ notifies school districts of all previous arrests and convictions. The district is also notified if the employee is arrested or charged with a crime after employment, Bruton said.
Detectives are looking for additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to call 454-7645 or 454-7647.
