Police want to know if there are more victims in teacher molestation case

Morgan Hill police are seeking more victims in the case of a former Morgan Hill elementary school teacher who is now suspected of sexually assaulting four young girls.

52-year-old John Loyd is from Hollister and was arrested October 2nd on child molestation charges after a student at Paradise Valley Elementary School came forward. Since Loyd’s first court appearance police say investigators have identified four more girls who claim that they were molested by the teacher.

Loyd had been a fifth-grade teacher at Paradise Valley, where the first victim came forward to school staff.

Sgt. Carson Thomas of the Morgan Hill Police Department said Loyd was charged with lewd and lascivious acts toward a child. Thomas says the school district cooperated with the investigation.

“Shortly after the allegations came out, they had on-staff counselors for the class and the classes where the students were directly affected with Mr. Loyd as their teacher,” Thomas said.

Hollister School District officials said Loyd was a substitute teacher there and volunteered with a local YMCA program in the 1980s before moving to the Morgan Hill Unified School District in 2000.

“The schools were completely shocked and horrified about the allegations against the teacher,” Thomas said.

The district issued a statement Wednesday through Fawn Myers, Assistant superintendent of human resources:

“This continues to be a police investigation we are aware of the police request for additional victims to come forward, but other than that we have no new information.”

Loyd remains in custody at the Santa Clara County jail pending a court date early next year. Authorities said each of his charges carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Meanwhile, police said they will continue to search for more potential victims.