Pacific Collegiate School teacher arrested on charges of statutory rape

By Jeanette Bent

July 1, 2024 10:55 PM

Published July 1, 2024 3:07 PM

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) -- A 41-year-old instructor at Pacific Collegiate School (PCS), Trung Lai, was arrested Friday on charges of attempted statutory rape of a 17-year-old student.

According to police, Lai was engaging in grooming behavior with a PCS student over the past couple of months, and on June 28 had arranged to meet the student off-campus to "engage in lewd acts." This was when Santa Cruz Police detectives took Lai into custody.

Police say that PCS has been notified and are cooperating with the investigation.

KION has reached out to PCS for a statement but has yet to hear back.

Article Topic Follows: Santa Cruz County

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Jeanette Bent

I’ve been an international professional writer and performer for over 25 years. With a background in journalism, creative writing, dance and aerial, I find the intersection between all of these skills lands itself somewhere under the term “storytelling.”