PASADENA — A Duarte elementary school teacher pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he molested seven current and formers students over the past twelve years.
Wade Bughman, 41, of Monrovia was a 6th grade teacher at Beardslee Elementary School in Duarte when Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials began investigating him in April, sheriff’s and Duarte Unified School District officials said.
Through his attorney, John Tyre, Bughman denied wrongdoing.
“At this point we’re denying all allegations and anything that is alleged against him,” Tyre said. “Obviously that’s our position – that he didn’t do anything.”
Tyre declined to discuss the specifics of the case.
Bughman is charged with 11 felony counts of child molestation — including continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and forcible rape — for alleged molestations of girls between the ages of 7 and 12.
Prosecutor Debra Archuleta could not be reached for comment Friday.
He was put on leave from his position at the elementary school as soon as the investigation began, DUSD officials said. He taught several grade levels since he began working for the school in 1993.
Bughman was arrested June 17 at his parents’ home in Apple Valley, sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
Pasadena Superior Court Judge Terry Smerling reduced Bughman’s bail from $2.1 million to $700,000, Tyre said.
Tyre said he didn’t know of Bughman would be able to raise that amount.
Bughman is due back in Pasadena Superior Court July 29, where attorneys will set a date for a preliminary hearing, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Shiara Davila-Morales said.
In a preliminary hearing, lawyers for the prosecution and defense present their cases to a judge, who decides whether there is sufficient evidence to require a defendant to stand trial.
Though the charges against Bughman date back to 1997, Whitmore said sheriff’s officials suspect the molestations may go back further.
Anyone with information regarding the case was asked to call the sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau, 866-247-5877.

PHOTO of Wade Bughman courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

DUARTE — A man allegedly had 68 balloons full of heroin with him when he passed out at the wheel and crashed his truck in Duarte Thursday, authorities said.
Andrew Lalande, 27, of Monrovia was booked on suspicion of possession of drugs for sales, driving under the influence of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Tom McNeal said.
Deputies responded to a car crash about 1:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of Royal Oaks Drive, the lieutenant said.
Lalande had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed into a car that was stopped in the roadway in front of him, McNeal said.
Witnesses told deputies that after the crash, Lalande walked down the street where he appeared to drop something on the ground, then returned to his truck, McNeal said.
When deputies looked at the spot the witnesses had indicated, they found 68 balloons full of heroin, he said. Officials also found 15 syringes — one of them full of heroin — inside Lalande’s truck.
In all, deputies found about 6 grams of heroin, McNeal said, with an estimated street value of about $7,000.
According to sheriff’s booking records, Lalande was being held without bail. His initial court appearance was scheduled for Friday, however an update on his case was not available late Friday.

DUARTE — Two young men avoided serious injury Wednesday after a rollover SUV crash on the 210 Freeway, authorities said.
The crash occurred just before 1:40 p.m. on the westbound Foothill (210) Freeway, just west of the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Gafford said.
The driver of a 1992 Ford Explorer, a 22-year-old Azusa Pacific University student, told CHP officers he was driving westbound when a white Chrysler 300 that was entering the westbound 210 Freeway from the northbound 605 Freeway swerved toward him an nearly ran him off the road, Gafford said.
To avoid a collision, Gafford said, the driver reported that he slammed on his brakes and jerked the steering wheel, the sergeant said. The SUV to roll over onto it’s roof and came to a stop in the fast lane and carpool lane.
The driver and his passenger, another young man, were able to climb out of the wrecked vehicle themselves, Gafford said. They suffered minor cuts and bruises and declined to be hospitalized.
Based on the account of the driver and passenger, CHP officials are investigating the crash as a possible “non-contact hit-and-run,” Gafford added.
No further description of the Chrysler was available.

Two Latino gang members accused of shooting a black man and trying to run him over with a car in an alleged hate crime in Duarte last month appeared in court Friday, authorities said.

Ali Vasquez, 22, Mario Luevano, 18, and a 17-year-old boy whose name was not released due to his age are suspected of shouting racial slurs as they carried out the crime, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Carlos Lopez said in a written statement. All three are members of the Duarte Eastside street gang.

The adult suspects appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court Friday to be arraigned on three counts of attempted murder Friday, court officials said, however the hearing was delayed until Feb. 19 and the suspects did not enter pleas.

The alleged attack took place about 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 31 at Highland and Central avenues, officials said.

“Suspects Vasquez, Luevano and a male juvenile shot a male black adult twice in the upper torso with a shotgun and handgun,” according to the sheriff’s statement. “The suspects then attempted to run the victim over with their vehicle, which was was later determined the suspects had stolen.”

The wounded man is an Altadena resident in his late 40s who was visiting a friend in Duarte when he was shot, officials said. The suspects passed by him in an allegedly stolen car before getting out to confront him.

Deputies arrested Luevano Jan. 5 on an unrelated charge of possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, officials said.

The alleged victim cooperated with authorities duing the lenghty investigation, officials said.

Vasquez and the juvenile were arrested on Jan. 8 and 20, respectively, while deputies carried out search warrants at their homes.

Vasquez and the juvenile are Duarte residents, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Mark Glatt said. Luevano’s city of residency was not available Friday.

According to sheriff’s booking records, Vasquez was being held without bail, while Luevano was being held in lieu of $2.18 million bail.

The shooting took place only weeks after a judge enacted a gang injunction in Monrovia against two waring gangs, the Du Roc Crips and Monrovia Nuevo Varrio.

Monrovia officials complained that Duarte did not join in the injunction, which may have allowed it to include Duarte Eastside.

Duarte officials have said they fear Monrovia’s injunction against the Du Roc Crips and MNV could strengthen Duarte Eastside.

DUARTE — Deputies evacuated the patrons and employees of a pharmacy Wednesday after police received a report that someone in the store had a gun, authorities said.
Officials received a phone call about 5:10 p.m. reporting there was a man with a handgun tucked into his waistband inside the CVS/pharmacy, 2315 East Huntington Drive, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Mark Glatt said.
Deputies surrounded the store and told the 14 patrons and seven employees inside to come out with their hand up, the lieutenant said.
A man who the tipster said had the gun was detained along with three companions while officials used gun-sniffing dogs to search the store, Glatt said.
About four hours later no gun had been found and the search was called off, officials said. The four people being detained during the search were released.

DUARTE — No one was injured late Friday when apparent gang-members opened fire on a Duarte home, authorities said.
The drive-by shooting was reported about 8:45 p.m. in the 1900 block of Bradbury Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Walker said.
The attackers were described only as two black males who were last seen fleeing west on Broach Avenue, the sergeant said. They yelled out “Du Roc” during the shooting — a reference to the Du Rock Crips street gang that calls Duarte home.
No one was struck by the gunfire, Walker said, though a house was shot twice.
The City of Monrovia is currently trying to get a gang injunction against the Du Roc Crips as well as another area street gang known as Monrovia Nuevo Varrio.
Duarte has not joined the injunction, and city officials have said they fear that an injunction against the two gangs would serve to strengthen a third, Eastside Duarte, which was not named in the injunction proposal.
Feuding between black and Latino gangs in the Monrovia-Duarte area has erupted into violence in recent years, and is blamed for the deaths of four people in late 2007 and early 2008.

DUARTE — A man was flown to the hospital by helicopter following a 4-car freeway crash Wednesday, authorities said.
The collision occurred shortly before 5:30 p.m. in the westbound lanes of the 210 Freeway, just west of Myrtle Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Jeffrey Myers said.
A man of about 40 years old had to be freed from his Corvette by firefighters, Myers said.
He was flown to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in stable condition, the captain added.
Both lanes of the 210 Freeway were shut down as the helicopter landed, and lanes of the freeway remained affected by the crash for more than an hour, according to California Highway Patrol logs.
The crash caused one of the involved cars to catch fire, officials said.
No other injuries were reported in the crash, Myers said, however a motorcyclist crashed and suffered a broken arm as traffic slowed down in the aftermath of the collision.
The circumstances and cause of the crash were being investigated by the Baldwin Park office of the California Highway Patrol.

DUARTE — A woman was arrested on suspicion of carjacking Sunday after allegedly punching another woman in the face and stealing her car with the help of a male accomplice, authorities said.
Her name was not immediately available, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Walker said.
The incident occurred about 7:15 p.m. at the Duarte Liquor Store, 1302 Duarte Road, the sergeant said.
A woman was approached by the female suspect and punched in the face, Walker said.
She and an accomplice, a man, then drove away in the woman’s Nissan Pathfinder SUV, he said.
The SUV crashed and overturned about half a mile east of the liquor store at Duarte Road and Highland Avenue, Walker said.
As deputies were investigating the crash, the apparent victim approached officials and pointed out the female suspect driving away in another car, he said.
The car was pulled over and the woman was arrested without further incident, Walker said. Three other men inside the car with her were not believed to be involved in the carjacking.
The woman who allegedly had her car stolen was hospitalized with a possibly broken nose, the sergeant added.
The male suspect remained at large, he said.