EspañolDimitri Altobar, Burbank Gym Teacher at St. Francis Xavier School, Arrested for Alleged Inappropriate Relationship With Student
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA (June 2, 2025) – A Burbank gym teacher at St. Francis Xavier School, identified as Dimitri Altobar, was arrested over claims of having an inappropriate relationship with a child.
Los Angeles County officials are saying that the defendant was arrested and booked on Wednesday after an investigation. The Los Angeles District Attorney has charged Dimitri Altobar with five counts of committing lewd acts on a child under 14.
He has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Dimitri Altobar has been placed on administrative leave.
His bail has been set at $100,000. A full investigation into the allegations against the defendant remains ongoing at this time.
Liability for Los Angeles County Teacher Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse involving school coaches and gym teachers remains alarmingly common. According to Psychology Today, “About 10 percent of students will experience educator sexual misconduct by the time they graduate high school. Most perpetrators are male (89.1 percent) and teachers (63.4 percent) or coaches/gym teachers (19.7 percent).” There are a number of signs that a teacher may be trying to develop an inappropriate relationship with a student.
- A teacher may spend unusually long periods of time with a particular student.
- A teacher may show obvious preference for a student.
- A teacher may use personal texts, social media, or messaging services to communicate with a student.
- A teacher may engage in inappropriate or unnecessary physical contact.
Schools have a legal obligation to protect students from sexual abuse and other foreseeable sources of harm. This requires that schools properly supervise students at all portions of the day. A school’s legal obligation to properly supervise students can extend beyond school grounds. It also applies to all officially sanctioned school events, like field trips. If school officials knew or should have known that a teacher posed a risk of harm to students and failed to act, this could form the basis of a negligence claim.
Schools can be held liable when their lack of proper supervision leads to sexual abuse. Consider, for example, Taylor v. Oakland Scavenger Co., 17 Cal. 2d 594 [110 P.2d 1044], “It is the duty of the school authorities to supervise at all times the conduct of the children on the school grounds and to enforce those rules and regulations necessary to their protection.” It is important that certain actions are taken after any instance of school sexual abuse.
- A police report of the incident should be created.
- The actions of school officials leading up to the abuse should be understood.
- The history of disciplinary action involving the teacher should be investigated.
- An experienced sexual abuse attorney should be contacted.
Sexual abuse involving school teachers is often highly preventable. It tends to be the result of loose security policies that allow teachers to spend long periods of time with students unsupervised. By the time any school teacher is arrested for sexual misconduct, there were often many red flags that were missed. Any person that is sexually abused by a school teacher may be able to seek some measure of accountability through a civil claim. A school sexual abuse attorney can examine all of the unique facts of your case and let you know what your legal options are.
Investigating Los Angeles County Teacher Sexual Abuse
We at the Carrillo Law Firm, LLP were deeply concerned to hear about the alleged actions of Dimitri Altobar. Any person who may have more information about what happened should reach out to the police. There needs to be a thorough investigation into all of the allegations. Many questions remain unanswered at this time.
Have you or someone that you care about been sexually abused by a teacher at St. Francis Xavier School? You may have legal recourse. Our team of sexual abuse attorneys is here to help in any way that we can. We are committed to helping abuse survivors and holding school districts accountable for their negligence. Whether you just have legal questions or need any type of assistance, we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at 626-799-9375.
