Prosecutors allege Chaffey High School music teacher had sexual relationship with student
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A music teacher at Chaffey High School in Ontario has been charged with three felonies for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student.
Thomas Mazur, 51, is accused of having a relationship with the girl, a student at Ontario High School and a member of the Chaffey Symphony Orchestra, between April and December last year.
Mazur, of Rancho Cucamonga, met the girl through his role as director of the orchestra, which consists of students from Chaffey, Ontario, Montclair and Colony high schools, according to a Web site about the group.
Prosecutors filed charges against Mazur on Thursday, and he appeared in West Valley Superior Court this morning to be arraigned.
He pleaded not guilty to three felonies -- oral copulation with a minor, sexual penetration of a minor with a foreign object, and attempted unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
He posted $50,000 bail after the hearing. A man who accompanied Mazur in court today told a reporter that Mazur would not make a statement.
According to statements in the police report attached to Mazur's court file, Mazur has either been placed on leave or has been fired from his job at Chaffey High School.
Officials at Chaffey Joint Union High School District, which includes Chaffey High School, did not return calls seeking comment Monday.
The relationship between Mazur and the girl apparently came to light in April when Mazur's wife, Lucy Mazur, discovered text messages on her husband's cell phone between her husband and the girl, according to the police report.
When Thomas Mazur's wife confronted him about the text messages in the presence of two friends and co-workers, Mazur "admitted that he was having an affair and was in love with (the girl), but added that he would not be so stupid to do anything illegal," the report states.
Lucy Mazur turned the phone over to school officials, who notified police. Lucy Mazur initiated divorce proceedings against Thomas Mazur in late April, court records show.
The girl detailed her relationship with Mazur -- she called the secret relationship a "double life" -- in recent interviews with an Ontario police detective, according to the police report.
The girl, now 17, said she first met Mazur her freshman year, when she was a member of the district orchestra and he was the director.
The relationship between student and teacher became physical in spring or summer last year, when the girl was 16.
It ended in October when she began dating her boyfriend, though the pair remained friends, the girl told Ontario police detective Timothy Glisson, according to the report.
"She said that she found that she could talk to (Mazur) because he was more on her intellectual level as opposed to students her age," Glisson wrote in his report.
The girl told Glisson that Mazur initiated the physical contact, which at first involved only kissing.
Mazur and the girl had the contact in Mazur's office adjacent to the music room at Chaffey High School, the girl told police.
The physical relationship later involved sexual conduct that stopped short of intercourse, the girl told police. Mazur asked the girl to have intercourse but she declined, she told police.
The sexual contact occurred after school hours, sometimes late at night after rehearsals, which usually ended at 8:30 p.m., the girl told police.
Police found forensic evidence in Mazur's office during a May search that supports the girl's story, according to the police report.
According to the girl's statements and others in the police report, many at the school were suspicious of the the close relationship between Mazur and the girl, but both denied that it was sexual or inappropriate when they were confronted.
School officials told police they were unaware of any potentially illegal activity between the pair, according to the police report.
One of Mazur's co-workers told police that when he invited Mazur to dinner in July last year, he expected Mazur to come to the restaurant with his family.
Instead, the man told police, Mazur came with the student, and they left together after the meal in Mazur's white Lexus.
Mazur directs the orchestra in this 2001 file photo.
I KNO MAZUR FOR 4 YEARS I WAS IN THE CHAFFEY ORCHESTRA DURING SCHOOL AND PM HOURS TOO TUES. N THURS. 6:30-8:30 FOR A LONG TIME HE WAS ALWAYS CLOSE TO A GURL THAT I KNO BUT NEVER DID I THINK IT WENT THAT FAR I MUST ADMIT THE CLASSES WERE ALWAYS LONG. I DNT HAV A CLUE WHO DIS GURL IS BUT I HAV AN IDEA. HE WAS ALWAYS NICE TO EVERY ONE BUT NEVER DIDI I THINK HE WOULD DO SUCH THING. YEAH HE WOULD MAKE PERVERTED JOKES TO MAKE US LAUGH. I THINK SHE IS AS GUILTY AS HE IS. EVRYONE WOULD LEAV AFTR PRACTIC AND SHE WAS STUPID TO NOT LEAV IF SHE DIDINT APPROVE OF IT. I THINK SHE IS STUPID FOR LETTING HIM GO THAT FAR HES A GUY WAT DO U EXPECT, SHE COULD HAV CALLD THE POLICE AFTER THE KISSING WHICH I THINK SHE SHOULD HAV STOPPED IT. SHE LET HIM GO FAR AND I DNT THINK ITS FAIR FOR HER TO BE COOL ABOUT THIS SITUATION. I MYSELF ALMOST GOT RAPPED AND I EVEN CONTACTED THE POLIC AND I HAV THE RIT TO SAY I KNO HOW SHE FEELS BUT HER SITUATION IS DIFFERENT BECUZ SHE APPROVED THE RELATIONSHIP
SHAME ON YOU MR. TOM MAZUR!!! THAT IS A CHILD! YOU NO LONGER DESERVE TO BE CALLED A TIGER!!!
thank goodness I was never in that class...idk who would even consider doing that...its shameful and wrong =(
HEy i knew mr. mazur and he was always a freak....hes a great teacher and conductor but he always came to pratice late with the girl in question (no comment on her name) but im glad someone found out about him. im sad he came from my school and that he was a teacher here. chaffey is the best high school in the world and i still can not be believe this.
you know what... it takes two to tango!!!! i don't care what anyone says. yes a 51 year old man should know better, but you know what.... at the age of 16 you damn well should know the differce between right and wrong too. i have known mazur for a countless number of years and he was a devoted teacher when it came to helping his students learn about music. mazur contributed so much to the school and to the community. he mentored and encouraged his students to higher levels of achievement. both of my older brothers had him in marching band years ago and i have sang in choir with his orchestra. mazur always showed respect and at times he would let out the goofyness in him to keep things fun. i myself will always have respect for mazur.hes a good person and instead of attacking one side of the story try thinking about both sides, remember the blame shouldn't be just on him..
What a shame. This will have a profound effect on so many innocent lives, many of them too young to comprehend the loss of parental figure in their home. Mistakes have been made here. However, the ones who will suffer most are the family's children. Let's hope that they remain strong and true to their faith. May their true friends rally around them and provide them with spirit, love, and the insight to live meaningful and guilt free lives.
The community needs the symphony orchestra. So many students have the chance to play an instrument of their choice and perform. As an orchestra member for years, we went to see the Los Angeles Philharmonic rehearse at the Music Center and later we saw them play at the Hollywood Bowl. I have continued my music career as a musician and composer thanks to Mr. Mazur. I've been to so many concerts at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Last night I just saw YO-YO MA play Dvoraks Cello concerto, Placido Domingo conducted the LA Phil!
These are things I never took for granted. While others dropped out of high school, got pregnant and did drugs, the orchestra helped musically gifted kids do something they loved. There are many other things I could say about my life but really I am mad at this slut! Everyone who still wants to play in an orchestra find one! I don't know if it is now cancelled or what?
rascate el ojo del zepillin
WTF IS WRONG WICHU U FREAKIN YAHOO...\
YOU SKUM OF THE EARTH!!!!I JUST WANNA KICK U AND PUNCH U IN THE GUT....I HOPE THIS HAPPENS TO YER MOTHER YOU FUKN WHORE!!!!!!!
I'm wondering if there were any previous victims .... If so please come forward without shame.
I won't go as far as cursing him out but Mr. Mazer seemed like a nice guy when I first met him. Though I thought his teaching methods were unethical he still came off as a descent man to me. I am not totally surprised at this news, only because he kind of had a particular look that I have become accustomed to seeing and avoiding. I do believe he is the only or one of the extreme few teachers that I have not become on good terms with. I thank the stars that it didn't happen to me but I send my deepest condolences to the poor girl who was forced to go through it. I also thank the stars that I didn't go into the band so I wasn't exposed to that atmosphere.
I was only a lad when I first met Mr. Mazur at Macy's Pep Band. He was very cool to me and everyone in the band. This is awful for everyone. Whatever he outcome, he will probably never teach music again. A damn shame.
i'm in 6th period right now and just found this. it's interesting is all i have to say and never would have thought of a teacher from Chaffey doing this. What is this world coming to...
in response to laurie: i totally agree that this girl, whoever she is should be held responsible. but if ANYONE should have known the difference it is MAZUR. I was in the Chaffey Joint Union Orchestra for 2 years before they closed the program (which is unfair to take something away from so many people who've done nothing wrong). The fact is that he is 51. Teens are often easily intimidated, which i dont really believe was the case considering how many opportunities this girl had to reach out for help. The fact remains that MAZUR is the adult and what he did was despicable, disgusting, and terribly inappropriate. I am not saying that this girl is not at fault as well. She should be ashamed of what she has done. Both of them should! It's terrifying to realize what kind of people there are out there and how close they can be to you. Shame on you MAZUR! We trusted you to be both our teacher and our friend. Now we have lost our music and trust. Both participants should be extremely ashamed of themselves and should know better!!!
I had Know Mazur for some long time as a Alum I feel the same for him but do not pity any party the real shame comes from the fact of his involvement at Chaffey, Ontario, And other schools. This is a very bad mistake. And If anyone is to judge it should not be us but Tom's Wife, the girl in question and her family. the Shame has been Cast and We as Students Of Chaffey and Alum of Chaffey must forgive and forget. The wonderful Things that Tom Mazur had given Chaffey for numbers of years will always be in our memeories but the fact is this has happen. The time We shared at Chaffey and having Mazur there were some of Chaffeys' best years for bands and Orchastia but don not for get that we are all human and he is not the first teacher to fall. So let it go and just look at the better days to come. And I Quote " everyone has had a crush on a teacher at least once in their lives". I leave with this saying " To Chaffey's glowing colors we hold allegentance to and forever we shall cherish our glourious banners hue, so we hall our raident color no honor shall we lack While Chaffey stands Defenders of the Orange and the Black" -Class Of 98
lol the funny thing about this is when i was at chaffey the roomers of mazur and a student floated around then, and I'm class of 01. I'm not shocked about it at all, and i wouldn't dought there where others.
Those of you who blame the girl are idiots! She is very young and her brain is not even finished developing. Mazur deserves all the blame. He was the one in the position of power. None of you know what actually happened. How dare you blame a child for what a grown man did to her
Wow! Shocked! I knew who Mazur is but I was never HIS student or anything... My opinion is that both parties are responsible for their actions...Mazur is a grown adult with lots of experience on life and he should've known better BUT, "the girl" is no child either as people refer to her. At sixteen so many teenagers want to be looked upon as adults and if they want to be treated as such then they should be thought of as such. Because lets face it, kids SHOULD be kids but unfortunately these days kids grow up faster for some reason! And like this article says,"She said that she found that she could talk to (Mazur) because he was more on her intellectual level as opposed to students her age"... its no wonder she let things happen, if that was her way of thinking, I mean why stir things up in that way with your teacher?
I had a shocking experience at Chaffey. Different teacher he was single, he had girlfriends here and there... and while I attended for all four years I felt like he treated me special in comparison to others but I never thought anything of it! I thought since he was MY favorite teacher maybe I was HIS favorite student! Simple as that, and seriously i liked him so much as a teacher! I had so much respect 4 him (my parents always raised me to respect my elders) and just looked up to him but after graduating since he was my favorite i would go visit and catch up, he was fun to talk to just about stuff! Nothing intimate, until one day on one of my visits, he confessed he always had a crush on me... omg! it was so awkward i left that day feeling yuky! and that was my last visit. I have never gone back and never think of going back. I just can't. It totally put me in a zone that i have just never been in and don't ever want to be in ever again.
I just think teachers these days get too close to their students then students instead of seeing them as teachers they forget it's their teacher. Instead they act with their teacher as they would act with a friend and that shouldn't be to avoid things like this!
he is a perv. i hope he gets what he desvers. he is sssooo gross
Not shocking at all. He was inapropriate with his jokes at Top Talented Honor Band and the way he conducted himself as well as telling us about people caught on campus having sex with details (ironic now that I think of it)...but the loss is to the community who will no longer have that program. What an aweful thing he has done...and gross...Unfortunately, he was a great teacher, but should never be allowed to teach because it is obvious to many that he was a bit perverted. Even the 3 day weekends we would spend with him once a year (4 years in a row for me) showed us some of his perversions. Nonetheless, what a loss.
you people are all fuckin high! i was teachers pet for 4 years.... this man DID NOTHING INNOPROPRATE on my watch
I was one of the first members of Chaffeys Orchestra and all I can say is that is a shame that many music students wont have the luck that me and many others had to know such a great talented man. He is not the only one to blame, 16 years is not to be consider a kid any more, but an articulated person who can think and make decisions, someone who can say yes and no. All I can say that this is a big loss for the community of Ontario.
Mr. Mazur was a close friend of mine, and with most of my students. These "students" he's charged with having an an inappropriate relationship with, are now adults. So I fail to see where the problem lies, other than a sexual relationship between student and teacher being poor taste.
I knew Mr.Mazur well, as a friend and fellow teacher. These "students" he's alleged to have inappropriate relations with, are now adults, so I faile to see where the problem lies, other than the issue being tasteless.