EspañolGene Richard Griffith III, 36-Year-Old Wrestling Coach at Hesperia High School, Arrested Following Child Sexual Abuse Investigation
HESPERIA, CALIFORNIA (May 12, 2026) – A 36-year-old wrestling coach at Hesperia High School identified as Gene Griffith has been arrested on suspicion of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child.
San Bernardino County officials are saying that the arrest took place on Tuesday. Gene Griffith was booked into the High Desert Detention Center in San Bernardino following his arrest.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Department Crimes Against Children unit are looking into the possibility that there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward.
A full investigation into the alleged conduct of Gene Griffith remains ongoing at this time.
Liability for San Bernardino County Child Sexual Abuse
Schools have a legal obligation to protect all of the students in their care from reasonably foreseeable sources of harm. This necessitates that schools adequately supervise all of the children in their care at every portion of the day. According to Dailey v. Los Angeles Unified Sch. Dist., “California law has long imposed on school authorities a duty 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.” Schools should take a number of actions to prevent child sexual abuse.
- Screening: Schools should carefully screen all employees and volunteers. They should undergo a thorough background check before being allowed to work around any students.
- Boundaries: Schools should have strict boundaries about acceptable behavior between students and teachers. Among other things, schools should not allow teachers to privately text students.
- Access: Schools should prohibit teachers from having isolated one-on-one access to children. Meetings with students should occur in visible spaces.
- Reporting: Schools should have multiple ways for students or faculty to report concerns about inappropriate behavior.
When a school fails to protect students from sexual abuse or other sources of harm, this could serve as evidence of negligence. The school that the perpetrator worked for could also be liable. As a general principle, school districts can be liable for failing to take reasonable measures to prevent the sexual abuse of their students. By the time any teacher is arrested for sexual abuse, there were likely many red flags that were missed. Unfortunately, schools do not always follow through with investigating suspicious behavior.
Steps to Take After San Bernardino County Sexual Abuse
Far too many students are sexually abused across California in the United States each year. According to the National Education Association, “there were 14,938 incidents of sexual violence in K–12 schools in 2017 – 2018 compared with 9,649 in 2015 – 2016, representing a 55 percent increase.” It is important that certain steps are taken after any instance of sexual abuse.
- The police should be informed of the abuse as early as possible so that they can begin investigating and collecting evidence.
- Any messages between the perpetrator and the victim should be sought and preserved.
- The history of misconduct involving the perpetrator should be carefully reviewed.
- The family of any child sexually abused by a school teacher or coach should seek the advice of an experienced school sexual abuse attorney.
Sexual abuse remains one of the most harmful and destructive experiences that most children will ever go through in their lives. Victims are at an increased risk of numerous physical and psychological ailments. Unfortunately, schools will virtually never accept responsibility when one of their employees harms a student. This is why it’s so important that these incidents are properly investigated by an outside party. Parents are able to seek some measure of accountability in justice through a civil action.
Investigating San Bernardino County School Sexual Abuse
We at the Carrillo Law Firm were very concerned to hear about the allegations against Gene Richard Griffith III. Any person who may have more information should reach out to the police. There needs to be a thorough investigation into the potential scope of misconduct. Many questions remain unanswered at this time.
Have you or someone that you care about been the victim of sexual abuse at Hesperia High School? There are a number of laws designed to protect your rights. Our team of experienced sexual abuse attorneys is here to support you. We are committed to helping survivors and holding school districts fully accountable for their failure to protect students. Whether you just have legal questions or are wondering how an attorney might be able to help, we are here to serve your needs. You can contact us anytime at 626-799-9375.
