Rio Americano history teacher arrested in molestation case

A 54-year-old history teacher at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento is suspected of having four female students dress up in revealing "military garb" for a photo shoot on school property, the second time he has been investigated for similar accusations at an area high school, authorities said.

Gregory Jackson Rayburn was booked into Sacramento County Jail on 15 counts of molesting a child under the age of 18 and two counts of sexual battery, according to jail records. All the charges are misdemeanors.

Sacramento Sheriff's Department detectives arrested Rayburn at his Grass Valley home Wednesday. His bail was set at $120,000, jail records show.

Rayburn was investigated for "very similar activity" in 2005 when he was a teacher at Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks, Sacramento sheriff's Sgt. Micki Links said. Sheriff's detectives launched an investigation in November 2005 and handed over their findings to the Sacramento District Attorney's Office, but prosecutors declined to press charges, sheriff's officials said.

Rayburn is a social studies teacher at Rio Americano High. He has been an employee with the San Juan Unified School District since 1996 and was placed on paid administrative leave in December, pending the outcome of a Sheriff's Department investigation, according to district and campus officials.

A "few" students came to administrators on Dec. 6 with complaints about Rayburn, according to Principal Rob Hollingsworth. A vice principal contacted law enforcement authorities and began his own investigation, Hollingsworth said. The next day, Rayburn was escorted off campus, the principal said.

He said the students who had come forward had some sort of "contact" with Rayburn but he declined to elaborate. He also declined to say anything more about Rayburn, other than to confirm that he had taught U.S. and world history, primarily to sophomores and juniors.

"What we really need to do as a school now is let the legal process take its course," Hollingsworth said.

Administrators will send out a message to families on the district's Connect-Ed system to inform them of the developments, Hollingsworth said.

"Initially, we were shocked and disappointed by the accusations and the arrest. I guess it's appropriate for what the charges are," Hollingsworth said. "It's very disappointing when anyone makes mistakes and makes bad choices."