MARTINEZ — A former special needs teacher pleaded guilty to three felonies Thursday, related to sexual abuse of a student who was under his care.
Daniel Gonzalez, 56, was sentenced to 14 years in state prison as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. He will be able to reduce his sentence by up to 20 percent with good behavior, and has a little more than a year’s worth of credit for time served in jail awaiting trial.
Gonzalez was a teacher at the Bridge Program, an adult education program for special needs students that the Mt. Diablo Unified School District runs. He was charged with 23 felony counts in December 2017, related to a student who he sexually abused for an extended period of time.
As part of the deal, Gonzalez pleaded guilt to two counts of lewd act upon a dependent adult and one count of abuse of a dependent adult.
The victim, known in court records only as “Jane Doe,” wrote a lengthy statement describing the abuse, which a district attorney’s victims’ advocate read in court.
Her letter says Gonzalez used lies and excuses to gain access to her home when he knew Doe would be home alone, and that he had given her beer and bought handcuffs to use on her.
“I was afraid to tell his wife,” Doe’s letter says, later adding, “I thought I would be miserable for the rest of my life.”
She said that coming forward to police helped her deal with the trauma, but that she partially blames herself “for letting him into the house.”
“I’d like it if someone would tell me this is not my fault every day,” Doe’s letter says.
Judge David E. Goldstein immediately rose to the occasion.
“Let me tell you, it is not your fault,” Goldstein said. “It is natural to have that reaction, but it is not your fault, and I think you are very brave.”
Doe’s mother, who this newspaper is not identifying, spoke Tuesday, telling the court that Gonzalez had “preyed” upon her daughter and betrayed their family’s trust in him.
“I’ve been telling (Jane Doe) for years that you should respect adults. … I can’t believe that I would one day regret saying that to her,” Doe’s mother said.
After court, prosecutor Ryan Wagner called the mother’s statement “the essence of these types of cases in my mind.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard someone articulate it quite so well. … It was an absolute violation of trust of the worst kind,” Wagner said. “Jane Doe’s mother put her in this program that was designed to assist vulnerable members of our community, and he preyed on that.”
When asked for comment, Gonzalez’s attorney, Roberta Brooks, issued a brief written statement.
“When facing charges that amounted to hundreds of years to life, my client chose to accept a plea offer that ensured his freedom,” Brooks said in an email.
Last May, Doe’s family sued Gonzalez and Mt. Diablo Unified School District in federal court, alleging school officials had heard about improper conduct involving the teacher but didn’t act. School district attorneys responded in court filings denying the accusations, whereas Gonzalez, through his attorney, pleaded the Fifth Amendment.
Last July, the case was put on hold, pending the results of Gonzalez’s criminal proceedings. Now that Gonzalez has accepted a plea deal, the lawsuit is likely to continue.
Gonzalez’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
