Retired high school band teacher in child sex abuse case appears in El Dorado court
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- Retired Oak Ridge High School band director Paul Varoff made his first court appearance.
- Varoff is accused of sexually abusing a child at his home and in his school office.
- His arraignment hearing was postponed until Monday. He remains ineligible for bail.
A retired Oak Ridge High School band director accused of sexually abusing a child made his first appearance Wednesday in El Dorado Superior Court.
Paul William Varoff, 64, faces 10 felony child sexual abuse charges. Varoff appeared for his arraignment hearing Wednesday afternoon.
Varoff entered the courtroom wearing an orange jail inmate uniform with handcuffs on his wrists linked to shackles around his waist. He sat quietly in the jury box along with other incarcerated defendants, only speaking briefly to tell the judge he understood his rights and wanted to waive his right to speedy arraignment.
The former Oak Ridge High band director didn’t enter a plea to his charges during Wednesday’s hearing.
Varoff’s arraignment was postponed until Monday afternoon when his hired attorney can appear with him in court. The court will likely hear arguments from the attorneys on Monday to determine whether Varoff should have a chance to post bail and face his charges out of custody.
Until then, Judge Mark Ralphs ordered Varoff to remain ineligible for bail while in custody at the El Dorado County Jail.
Varoff taught band at the high school in El Dorado Hills for more than 30 years, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
El Dorado Union High School District officials said Varoff had retired, but he had since worked periodically with the district in a limited support role. District officials said they would not release any further details since this remained an active law enforcement investigation.
“We are taking these allegations seriously and are working closely with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office,” school district officials said in a written statement. “While it is not known at this time whether the allegations involve a student from our district, we are taking all appropriate steps to protect our school community.”
Public records show Varoff lives in Sacramento County. It’s at that same Anthony Drive home in Orangevale where sheriff’s officials arrested him this past Monday.
Prosecutors allege a months-long pattern of sexual abuse involving the same minor victim, with incidents spanning multiple locations and jurisdictions, rather than a single isolated encounter, according to the criminal complaint filed Jan. 20 by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office.
The alleged sexual abuse of the victim, identified as “J. Doe” in the court document, was committed at Varoff’s home, in his office on the Oak Ridge campus and after a birthday celebration for the former band director, according to the seven-page criminal complaint.
Prosecutors allege the child sexual abuse was committed at Varoff’s home between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2023; and in his offices on the El Dorado Hills campus between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28 of that year, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors in the complaint said the victim was “particularly vulnerable,” alleging Varoff “took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offense.”
The DA’s Office also alleges the crimes involved planning and repeated conduct over time, factors prosecutors say warrant aggravated consideration if Varoff is convicted.
The Bee’s Darrell Smith contributed to this story.
