Girl, 15, testifies in teacher's sexual abuse trial

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- When the first-grader would raise her hand in class, James Andrew Megaw would come to her desk, squat beside her, and press her hand against his crotch.

That was the testimony this afternoon of a 15-year-old Arizona girl, one of several children who accuse former Valencia Elementary School teacher Megaw, 43, of touching them sexually.

The girl, a student in Megaw's class at the Upland school nearly 10 years ago before moving to Arizona, is the second child to testify so far in Megaw's trial in West Valley Superior Court.

The Prescott, Ariz. girl testified that the alleged abuse by Megaw's occurred "numerous times" during the school year. She said she couldn't remember the exact number of times Megaw touched her.

"He would come take my hand and put it over his genital area on his pants," the girl testified.

The girl testified that she would pull her hand away from Megaw, "but he'd just pull it back."

The girl said she didn't tell authorities of Megaw's alleged actions at the time because, as a first-grader, she said she believed that by touching her Megaw was being unfaithful to his wife.

The girl said she didn't want to split up Megaw's family by going public with her allegations. She said she also made a pact of silence with a girl in her class who also said Megaw abused her.

She first told her mother of Megaw's alleged abuse in third grade, the girl testified.

And in June 2008, during counseling sessions in Arizona, the girl told counselor Carol Kibbee of the alleged abuse.

Kibbee testified today that she reported the allegation to authorities.

The counseling session was prior to Megaw's arrest, and the girl said she hadn't heard of any recent abuse allegations against the teacher.

Kibbee also testified that she didn't know Megaw and hadn't heard of any allegations against him.

The timing of the girl's statements to her counselor undermines one of Megaw's defenses against the allegations -- that alleged victims came forward only after learning of the initial allegation in October 2008.

Last week, a 10-year-old boy took the witness stand and accused Megaw of rubbing his genitals when he would stand beside Megaw's desk seeking help with classwork.

Testimony in Megaw's trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday morning.