Two Assistant Principals Arrested After Allegedly Failing To Report Sexual Assaults To Police

Two assistant principals at a Rialto, California, high school were arrested Wednesday for allegedly failing to report three sexual assault cases to police.

Local police took David Yang, 38, and Natasha Harris, 37, into custody Wednesday, NBC Los Angeles reported. The San Bernardino County District Attorney charged the assistant principals with a felony count of child abuse and two misdemeanor counts of failure to report child abuse or neglect, according to NBC Los Angeles.

“They’re mandated reporters and they are supposed to do their job,” one teenage accuser’s father told NBC Los Angeles. “They should be held accountable every way shape and form possible.”

One of the accusers said she was sexually assaulted in November 2021 by a 17-year-old male student at Carter High School, according to NBC Los Angeles. The accuser’s father reportedly recalled that an assistant principal told the girl “maybe it was the way you were dressed or you might be seeking attention.” The school reportedly failed to notify police of the incident.

The teenage girl’s parents did not know about the alleged attack until February, when school officials contacted them after their daughter complained that the alleged perpetrator was still harassing her, according to NBC Los Angeles.

Her parents reported the incident to the police, who identified two other girls allegedly assaulted by the same student, NBC Los Angeles reported. One accuser reportedly told the school of an assault in September 2021.

“The safety and well-being of students is our number one priority. Accordingly, these allegations are taken with extreme seriousness,” Rialto Unified School District said in a statement, according to NBC Los Angeles. “The District will continue its internal investigation until all the facts related to this matter are brought to light.  We will also continue to work with local authorities as they conduct their own investigation.”