Former Pomona school employee charged with statutory rape seeks plea agreement

POMONA -- A former school employee charged with statutory rape is seeking an offer from prosecutors for a plea agreement, a prosecutor said this morning.

Benjamin Chavez, 40, a former security guard at the Pomona Unified School District, is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl.

Chavez, of Pomona, made his second appearance in his criminal case today in Pomona Superior Court. An arraignment was postponed to Nov. 8 at his attorney's request.

Chavez was arrested last month after he allegedly had sex with the girl Sept. 4 at the Lemon Tree Hotel in Pomona. He later resigned from the school district, where he also worked as a baseball coach at Garey High School.

Ira Kwatcher, Chavez's attorney, told Judge Mike Camacho today that it's likely there will be a "disposition" in Chavez's case, such as a plea bargain. He also said he's discussed the possibility of a plea agreement with Deputy District Attorney Adam Chang.

Chang said in an interview after the hearing that he has not yet offered Chavez a plea bargain. "They are seeking an offer and I need to clear it with the appropriate people," he said.

Chang said the "appropriate people" include his supervisors in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, as well as the 17-year-old girl and her family.