Irvine teacher arrested for lewd contact with student

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- A University High School English teacher was arrested Monday night on suspicion of lewd contact with a student.

Michael Granger, 32, is alleged to have had inappropriate physical contact with an unidentified student at the school.

The victim's parents contacted Irvine Police after finding a string of suspicious text messages between the two. Police said further investigation by the parents into the student's social media accounts found "concerning interactions," including indications of physical contact.

"The tone of the messages was romantic," said Irvine Police Commander Julia Engen.

Granger had contact with the student since September 2013, when the student was 15, police said. Granger has been with University High for 10 years.

Granger was held at Orange County Jail on $100,000 bail Monday night. He was released on bond Tuesday morning. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave by the school.

The Irvine Unified School District won't talk about the specifics of Granger's case since it's still under investigation. But in general the district says it encourages teachers to use campus messaging systems instead of personal email or texts.

"We take these allegations very seriously," said Ian Hanigan, a spokesman for the Irvine Unified School District. "Rather than be on Facebook and Twitter, we have approved technologies where it's more appropriate to engage with students."

Police have not ruled out there was alleged lewd contact on campus.

Students say that unlike most teachers, Granger would give them his personal cell number.

Police said there was no indication of other victims.

Granger was held at Orange County Jail on $100,000 bail Monday night. He was released on bond Tuesday morning. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave by the school.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective John Sanders at (949) 724-7244 or jsanders@cityofirvine.org.