Former School Counselor At Elementary School In Santa Paula Charged With Molesting Multiple Students

Friday November 22, 2024

(Photo courtesy VCDA)

     A man who was a school counselor at a Santa Paula elementary school has been charged by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office with molesting multiple students when he worked there.

     Prosecutors say that 42-year-old David Lane Braff Jr. of Thousand Oaks was arrested Friday morning on charges that he allegedly molested eight children at McKevett Elementary School in Santa Paula between 2015 and 2019.

     He was booked into the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $3 million and is due in court Monday to face arraignment.

     The DA's office says Braff is charged with 17 felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14-years-old.

     He is also accused with more than 60 special allegations and aggravating factors.

     They say from 2015 through 2019 Braff worked as a counselor at the school and is alleged to have molested the children in a school office.

     Prosecutors say the children ranged in age from 6 to 10 years old.

     The investigation into the allegations was opened in October and was conducted by DA prosecutors and investigators with extensive experience in such cases.

     The investigation also involved consultation with the Santa Paula Police Department.

     At the time of his arrest Friday, Braff was employed as an assistant principal and school counselor at Ingenium Charter Middle School in Los Angeles.

     The DA's office says while Braff's full employment history is not known at this time it is believed he also worked at other Southern California schools and may have also been a volunteer for youth-oriented organizations.

     The DA's Office is asking anyone who may have been victimized by Braff or has information about suspicious activity on his part to contact Ventura County DA Investigator Greg Webb at (805) 477-1627.