Teacher linked to secret photos

Gary Moskowitz

A Crescenta Valley High School ceramics teacher has been arrested for

allegedly using a hidden camera to film and photograph girls in a

school restroom, shocking campus officials who thought the seven-year

veteran was a positive influence on students.

Rogelio Gallardo, 34, was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion

of filming girls after he gave them permission to change into smocks

for ceramics class or go to the bathroom in a faculty restroom

outside his classroom.

Officials believe Gallardo had been using a digital video camera

in the restroom for the past year, and that he was retrieving

individual photos from the digital camera’s recordings and putting

them on the Internet.

He has been a teacher at the school since 1997, and is a Glendale

Teachers Assn. representative for the school. Gallardo, whom many

students call “Roger,” is married with children and lives in Corona,

officials said. He could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Gallardo was cited and released Thursday. His case will be

presented to prosecutors in Pasadena Superior Court within 60 days,

said Sgt. Dan Scott, who works in the Family Crimes Bureau of the Los

Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Gallardo is on paid administrative leave until further notice,

school district officials said.

A female student allegedly found a video camera hidden in a box in

the restroom Thursday and became suspicious. The girl, whose name was

not released, called her father, and he contacted Co-principal Mike

Livingston. Livingston notified a Glendale Police school resource

officer, but the investigation was handed to the Sheriff’s Department

because it covers that area of La Crescenta.

By mid-afternoon Thursday, authorities had taken Gallardo from his

classroom for questioning, and a school counselor took over the

class.

“We estimate that this has been going on for at least a year, so

it could be very big numbers of people photographed,” Scott said

Friday. “We are not sure. It happened in a faculty bathroom, and

[students] had to have permission to go in there. He is the one who

gave them permission to use the bathroom.”

Gallardo faces several misdemeanor charges, including child

pornography, invasion of privacy with a camera, and annoying or

molesting children, Scott said. The camera and Gallardo’s computer

have been taken as evidence. Gallardo admitted loading the photos

onto the Internet, investigators said Friday.

CV High math teacher Patricia Rabe fell silent when she heard of

Gallardo’s arrest. After pausing to consider what reportedly had

happened, Rabe took a deep breath and said, “If I were hunting for

someone to trust, he would be that guy. This surprises me, and the

fact that he has been accused is not enough for me yet.”

On Friday, several CV High students described Gallardo as

easygoing, easy to talk to, trustworthy, and always ready to help

students or listen to their problems.

“The weird thing is that Roger is an awesome guy,” said one

16-year-old female student who asked to remain anonymous. “But the

fact that all of my friends and I used that bathroom kind of creeps

us out. I don’t know for a fact that it happened, though.”

Another student in Gallardo’s sixth-period class was surprised by

his arrest.

“I think it’s really hard to believe,” the 16-year-old junior

said. “Roger is such an easygoing guy, so easy to talk to. I never

would have expected this from him. Yeah, I’ve used the bathroom

before, and I don’t know what to think of it all. I can’t say if I

believe it’s true.”

To investigators like Lt. Tom Sirkel, evidence points to Gallardo.

Gallardo allegedly told authorities that he had uploaded photos to a

website, but officials had not found any posted photos, Sirkel said.

Investigators have not found evidence of any other inappropriate

activities in the restroom, Sirkel said.

“It will all come together, but it will take a while,” Sirkel said

Friday. Sirkel and other investigators will speak at a community

meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the school, 2900 Community Ave., La

Crescenta. Investigators will not discuss details of the

investigation, but will talk to parents and students about how to

prevent similar incidents.

“We are all confused,” said Linda Evans, the school’s

co-principal. “He always struck me as a wonderful teacher who was

deeply concerned about the welfare of students. He worked well with

different types of students, especially those for whom school was

more difficult. He was the type who was making a positive difference

in the lives of students.”