Adelanto substitute teacher, 40, accused of sex with teenage girl

HESPERIA, Calif. (KABC) -- A 40-year-old substitute teacher for the Adelanto School District has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a 16-year-old girl.

Deputies said they were conducting a check on a suspicious black BMW parked near Ivy Avenue and Alder Street in Hesperia around 1:19 a.m. Sunday when they discovered the two inside the vehicle. They said it appeared that the suspect, Rakshannah Gopal Ranney, and the teen were engaging in sexual activity.

Detectives determined through their investigation that Ranney and the girl have been involved in an ongoing sexual relationship. They believe the two met on the Internet, and the girl was not one of Ranney's students. She has since been released to her guardian.

Investigators issued a search warrant and seized computers and other electronic devices from Ranney's Apple Valley home to find out if there are other potential victims.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information was asked to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff Hesperia Station at (760)947-1500.