California teacher, students arrested in hazing investigation

GlobalPost

Teacher Emmanuel De La Rosa and four students have been arrested on allegations that attempted sodomy was part of a hazing ritual in masonry classes at A.B. Miller High School.

Sgt. Robert Morris said three boys were attacked on separate occasions in De La Rosa's classroom in Fontana, Calif., reported the Associated Press. One of the students arrested — 18-year-old Fernando Salgado — is being investigated for child cruelty, assault with intent to commit mayhem or rape and attempted sodomy. The other three male suspects are minors. De La Rosa, 27, may have facilitated some of the hazings.

Salgado is said to be 5 feet 9 inches tall and 250 pounds, according to LA Weekly. De La Rosa is just over 6 feet tall and weighs 280 pounds.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the victims were all male juveniles with minor injuries that didn't require hospitalization. De La Rosa was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty.

"Anytime you have something like this, it is absolutely shocking," Superintendent Cari Olsen-Binks told ABC 7. "It just is one of those things that's unbelievable."

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Former and present students of De La Rosa couldn't believe their teacher would be involved in the violent hazings, according to ABC 7.

"He's really nice. He never did anything wrong to us," said junior Diana Limon.

"Misbehaving was not appropriate in class," former student Diana Becera also told ABC 7.

De La Rosa is now on administrative leave while the school district conducts its own internal investigation.

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