Former Ojai Teacher Pleads Guilty To Sex Crimes Against Student

Thursday March 14, 2024

     Updated--A former teacher at a private school in Ojai pleaded guilty Thursday to sex crimes involving an underage female student.

     65-year-old Paul Herder of Hawaii pleaded guilty to six counts involving the sexual abuse of the girl and he admitted six special allegations.

     He had been facing 22 counts.

     The plea agreement means that Herder will likely be sentenced on April 29th to six years and 8 months in state prison.

     It also means the victim will not have to testify at a trial.

     The crimes happened from 2013 to 2017 when Herder was a teacher at Oak Grove School in Ojai.

     The allegations against Herder did not come to the attention of authorities until February of 2023.

     He was arrested in Hawaii in June of last year and extradited to Ventura County.

     Meanwhile, the victim filed a civil lawsuit last year against the school and Herder.

     The civil suit alleges that Herder sexually abused the girl over 40 times starting when she was 16 although the sheriff's office indicated the alleged crimes started when she was 14.

     The civil suit alleges that Oak Grove School knew what was happening and did nothing about it.