RAFU STAFF AND WIRE SERVICE REPORTS
VAN NUYS—A Sylmar man who taught at an exclusive private school in Calabasas was charged Feb. 27 with possession of child sexual abuse material, along with annoying or molesting four female students who were allegedly secretly photographed.
Travis Takeshi Shojinaga, 39, pleaded not guilty to the five criminal charges and was ordered to remain jailed in lieu of $1 million bail, despite the prosecution’s request that he be held without bail, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Court records indicate Shojinaga, who earned a degree in education from CSU Northridge in 2010, is facing one felony count and four misdemeanor counts.
The District Attorney’s Office said Shojinaga, who taught at at Viewpoint School for 10 years, is accused of secretly taking intimate photographs of at least four students. He was arrested on campus on Feb. 25 after an 11-year-old student reported that he was secretly taking inappropriate photographs of female students.
“The accusations in this case are disgusting and deliberate violations of children’s safety, dignity and rights,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “Our community’s schools are meant to be safe and protected environments for youths. We believe there may be more victims and encourage anyone with information to call law enforcement. Anyone who chooses to commit crimes against children, especially on a school campus, will be criminally prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
As of Feb. 17, Shojinaga remained behind bars, according to jail records.
Annual tuition is around $50,000 at Viewpoint, which released a statement Feb. 26, saying it acted as soon as the allegations came to their attention.
“We immediately launched an investigation and notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Lost Hills Station,” school officials said. “The employee was subsequently taken into custody, and his employment has been terminated.”
The school added that the allegations do not involve physical contact.
If convicted as charged, Shojinaga faces seven years in state prison and will also be required to register as a sex offender for life. The Sheriff’s Department urged anyone who may have been a victim, or has additional information regarding potential victims, to contact its Special Victims Bureau at (562) 946-8216.