David Hott, 39, pleaded guilty yesterday to committing lewd acts on a 13-year-old student at the El Cajon-based Christian Youth Theater, according to court records. The plea closes the criminal case against one former staffer while a broader reckoning over alleged abuse at the longtime youth program continues. Survivors have pushed forward on two fronts, with criminal charges and a civil lawsuit that accuses the organization of allowing predatory behavior to fester for years.
Inside the Courtroom and the Sudden Plea
As reported by NBC 7 San Diego, prosecutors told the court that Hott groped the 13-year-old in his car in early 2007, then followed up with graphic text messages and voicemails. The woman, now in her 30s, testified that Hott repeatedly touched her until she was 15, and two alleged victims took the stand this week before the plea deal abruptly cut the trial short.
Hott’s trial attorney, Stefano Molea, argued that the accusers’ accounts contained inconsistencies and lacked definitive physical evidence, setting the stage for what could have been a bruising trial. Instead, Hott changed his plea on Wednesday. He remains out of custody on $100,000 bail, with sentencing set for May, when he is expected to receive credit for time served.
Charges, Bail and the DA's Strategy
The San Diego County District Attorney charged Hott and fellow former employee Brad Christian Davis in 2021 after a surge of allegations surfaced online, according to a press release from the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. The DA's statement says Hott was accused of two counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child tied to alleged incidents in 2007, and that prosecutors used a state law that extends the filing window in certain child abuse cases.
The release also notes that Judge Michael Groch originally set bail at $100,000 for each defendant when the charges were filed, a clear signal that the court viewed the allegations as serious even before jurors heard a word of testimony.
Related Convictions and a Still-Active Civil Suit
One of the other men charged, Brad Christian Davis, pleaded guilty the following year to a separate sex crime involving a teenage girl and was later sentenced to two years of probation, Times of San Diego reported. That case unfolded alongside a civil lawsuit that alleges Christian Youth Theater leaders concealed abuse and that multiple employees preyed on students between 1991 and 2011, a suit that remains pending, Times of San Diego adds.
Plaintiffs say the complaint will test whether institutional leaders ignored warning signs and silenced victims for years while the program continued to present itself as a wholesome community for young performers.
Fallout for CYT and Its Former Students
The wave of allegations prompted protests and led Christian Youth Theater leadership to suspend several San Diego-area chapters indefinitely, local outlets reported. For many parents and former students, those closures answered the immediate public relations crisis but not the deeper questions about who knew what and when.
Survivors and advocates say they are still looking for a clear accounting of how abuse was allegedly handled inside the organization. Attorneys representing former students say the case could trigger broader scrutiny of how youth arts programs screen, train and supervise adults who work with children.
What Comes Next
Hott is scheduled to be sentenced in May, and the DA's office and San Diego police have publicly urged any additional victims to come forward, according to the district attorney's press release. With the criminal plea now entered and the civil lawsuit still moving through the courts, survivors and their attorneys say the next several months will be crucial for both legal accountability and community healing.
