Quinceañera dance teacher molested 14-year-old student, maybe others, Calif. cops say

A Southern California dance instructor has been accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy he was teaching, and now authorities are looking for other potential victims.

Orange police arrested 46-year old Jesus Caballero of Santa Ana on felony child molestation charges on May 17, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release on Friday. He’s being held in the Orange County Jail on $1 million bail, prosecutors said.

Caballero “specializes in preparing teenagers for quinceañeras,” prosecutors said. Quinceañeras are traditional Hispanic coming-of-age celebrations, generally held for a girl’s 15th birthday.

Caballero’s arrest came after a 14-year-old boy confided in his mother that Caballero had molested him after driving him home from quinceañera dance practice in April 2018, prosecutors said. The mother called law enforcement to report the abuse accusation.

Investigators are asking anyone who knows of other victims to alert Orange police by calling 714-744-7571.

The charge Caballero faces — performing lewd and lascivious acts upon a child of 14 or 15 — carries a sentence of up to three years in state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Caballero is set to appear in court on May 31, prosecutors said.

This story was originally published May 24, 2019 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Quinceañera dance teacher molested 14-year-old student, maybe others, Calif. cops say."