Todd Arthur Cottam, a 54-year-old film and multimedia teacher at Village Academy High School of Film Production & Arts, was arrested at the Pomona campus on November 9 on suspicion of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes.
Pomona police spokesperson Aly Diaz said the arrest happened at Village Academy, the Daily Bulletin reported. SGV City Watch also reported Cottam’s arrest.
The Daily Bulletin reported that a vigilante group contacted Pomona police and that the group’s sting operation led to Cottam’s arrest. It also reported that a decoy posing as a 15-year-old allegedly met Cottam at a Thousand Oaks sting house in July.
What the District Said
The Daily Bulletin reported that Pomona Unified emailed Thursday about a potential allegation involving a staff member and said, “We are fully cooperating with the Pomona Police Department.”
Ronald Gonzales-Lawrence, director of governmental relations for Pomona Unified, said the district had been made aware of a potential allegation involving a staff member, the Daily Bulletin reported. The district said student safety and well-being are its highest priorities and that it will provide appropriate assistance to law enforcement as the matter is reviewed.
Potential Charges
As of Thursday evening, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office had not clarified whether it planned to file charges against him.
