Daniel Shepard, 62, and his wife, Gay, 59, face serious charges for what they allegedly did to a 17-year-old boy at their Huntington Beach home.
Authorities allege sexual assaults took place weekly starting in April 2009.
"They lured him, they had him come to their home, they fed him, they gave him alcohol, they made him feel comfortable, and they really violated their position of trust and their position of authority," said Farrah Emami, spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Daniel and Gay are both schoolteachers. Daniel worked at Westminster High, the school the victim attended. Gay taught for years at Mesa View Middle School in Huntington Beach.
Authorities suspect about a month after inviting the victim over regularly to play board games and watch movies, the assaults began.
"The first time that there was sexual contact, both defendants are accused of stripping down naked and getting into their hot tub and then encouraging the victim to do the same," said Emami.
Authorities allege the couple engaged in illegal sex acts with the boy together, and sometimes individually. Daniel is also accused of taking nude photos of the victim during the assaults.
In December 2009, the victim turned 18. Now an adult, the defendant could no longer be charged criminally for incidents that took place after that time.
The couple was arrested after the teenager told his mother, who then went to police last month.
The charges surprised at least one former student.
"She was a great teacher. She was actually one of my most favorite teachers. She was nice, she was just really sweet. All of this is really surprising," said Huntington Beach resident Jennfier Conta. "They live in a nice little quiet house over there and respectable. You just never know."
The couple was released from jail after each posting $150,000 bail. They are expected to be arraigned in May.
Authorities are concerned there may be other victims. If you have information related to the couple, contact Westminster Police at (714) 548-3247.
