1st-grade teacher at East LA school charged with sexually assaulting 6 female students

EAST LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- A first-grade teacher at Sunrise Elementary School in East Los Angeles has been charged with sexually assaulting six female students, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Wednesday.

Martin Reyes Jr., 29, is facing 10 counts of lewd act on a child under the age of 14, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Authorities began an investigation after a student reported on May 22 to law enforcement that Reyes had allegedly sexually abused her.

Investigators allege that Reyes sexually abused six female students enrolled in his class during a recess inside a classroom, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Reyes, an East Los Angeles resident, was arrested Monday by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Juvenile Division and has remained behind bars since then, jail records show.

Detectives with the Juvenile Division's Abused Child Section said Monday they were seeking the public's help to identify any other alleged victims.

Reyes is due back at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse Sept. 27, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.

His employment status with the school was not immediately available.