Santa Monica teacher pleads guilty in molestation cases

A Santa Monica middle school teacher pleaded guilty today to multiple counts of illegal sex acts with young girls and is scheduled to be sentenced to 14 years in state prison, prosecutors said.

Thomas Arthur Beltran, 61, taught at Lincoln Middle School for 20 years and admitted to sexually molesting nine girls. Beltran also admitted to molesting two others but was not charged in those cases because the statute of limitations had expired.

The plea deal was reached as a preliminary hearing in the case was set to begin.

The counts against Beltran include continuous sexual abuse, lewd act on a child and sexual penetration with a foreign object of a child younger than age 14.

Judge William Hollingsworth sentenced Beltran to 14 years in state prison and required that he register as a sex offender when he is released.

Beltran, who taught English as a second language to seventh graders at Lincoln Middle School, was arrested in May when a 12-year-old student reported incidents of alleged abuse to her parents, launching an investigation by Santa Monica police.

-- Andrew Blankstein

Comments

[R.Bautista]

how would you feel Mr Beltran if your grand child was done to what you did to other children, I wonder how your whole family see's you

[Marcos]

Perverted and DISGUSTING!!!

[GPaul]

Thank God they got this 'person' and I use the term loosely, out of the school system. But seriously, he ran wild for 20 years, how does this happen?

[Chuck]

Good news! I just hope that these criminals stay in jails and work to pay for their own expenses.

[Unhappy]

Why Beltran?? Do you care nothing for the school's reputation. And to think we saw you as a nice old guy...

[A Former Student]

I had Mr. Beltran back in the early 90's. He was always very helpful and kind to me. He is one of the best teachers I ever had. In fact, I kept in touch with him many years after graduating from middle school. I just saw the news today and am very very shocked by it. It is truly a tragedy.