Ontario Sunday school teacher accused of child molestation
A 44-year-old married father of six who teaches Sunday school at a Corona church is facing criminal charges for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl in 2003.
Prosecutors say John Calvin Savage taught the girl in Sunday school at Grace Baptist Church, and touched her inappropriately when she visited his Ontario home to perform chores.
Savage was arrested Wednesday and his being held at West Valley Detention Center in lieu of $500,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
Prosecutors charged Savage with two felony counts of committing a lewd or lascivious act on a child under 14 years old. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 16 years.
Ontario police began investigating Savage after an instance of alleged abuse from this summer came to light in August.
Savage allegedly inappropriately touched a 16-year-old female Chinese exchange student who was living at his home, said Deputy District Attorney Jason Anderson.
In the course of investigating this year's incident, police rediscovered the abuse report from 2003, Anderson said.
Police obtained a warrant and searched Savage's home, where they discovered a diary that included passages written by Savage about his sexual feelings for children, Anderson said.
Anderson said that in the alleged 2003 incident, Savage touched the girl inappropriately during a car ride from the Corona church to his Ontario home, where the touching allegedly continued.
The girl told police she protested the touching at the time, Anderson said.
She was recently re-interviewed by police, and her statement was consistent with her statements from 2003, Anderson said.
Anderson said police intend to file charges in connection with this year's alleged incident.
Police are trying to locate the exchange student, who has returned to China.
Contact U.S. Department of State Director Stanley Colvin at 202-203-7415 colvinss@state.gov Records are maintained by the U.S. dept of State office that is responsible for health, safety and welfare of foreign teenagers on exchange in USA. All exchange student abuse must be reported by the exchange placement agency to Director Colvin per federal regulations so this report should be on file. Also, all students and the school of attendance are on file with the California Attorney General International Student Exchange Placement Organization 1-415-703-1006 and all agencies placing students in California must be registered by California law. Exchange students are invisible victims of abuse, extortion and neglect. Check out the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students www.csfes.org for safety tips.