Cerritos resident John Juul Nielson, 53, was charged with a misdemeanor county of child annoyance for allegedly sending sexually suggestive text messages and having sexually suggestive conversations with a 15-year-old female student while he worked as a dance instructor at Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana.
Police believe Nielson sent sexual text messages between Oct. 15, 2011, and Jan. 11, 2012. Police allege Nielson also engaged in multiple sexually inappropriate conversations, including requesting an exclusive dating relationship.
School officials reported the case to SAPD after other students became suspicious of the relationship between the defendant and victim.
Nielson was held on $15,000 bail. If convicted, Nielson's lifetime registration as a sex offender would bar him from entering county recreational areas which have passed the Sex Offender Ordinance.
Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact SAPD Detective Ed Zaragoza at (714) 245-8351 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Carl Waddell at (714) 834-7538.