Cinnabar Elementary School Counselor Arrested for Child Sexual Abuse

In Sonoma County, California, a Cinnabar Elementary School counselor was arrested for child sexual abuse. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office indicated that John Conant, 66, of Sebastopol, was arrested for sex acts with a minor under 14 years old, taken into custody and booked into jail. According to reports, one day earlier, Sheriff’s deputies learned that there was an incident of child molestation at the elementary school.

Child sexual abuse occurs more commonly than many people realize, posing a deeply concerning issue that is often hard to quantify due to issues with underreporting. In the U.S., the Department of Education has estimated that as many as 10% of American students, or as high as 4.5 million children, experience sexual misconduct at some point during their K-12 education by school staff. This data includes a wide range of inappropriate behavior, such as verbal harassment and even sexual assault.

If your child was sexually assaulted in school, you may be able to take civil action and recover financial compensation for the damages that you and your family sustained. You can bring your case to our California child sexual abuse attorney at Beck Law P.C. to have it reviewed and to learn more about your legal options.

There May Be Many Victims

An initial investigation was conducted by local deputies, who then had detectives with the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit take over. Investigators said that the alleged abuse took place over a long period of time and happened more than once.

The investigation included an interview with the victim, which led to Contant’s arrest. Contant was booked into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility. He is charged with committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14. His bail was set at $250,000.

Contant’s position as a school counselor put him in contact with many students. As a result, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office believes that there may be many more victims who have not yet come forward. This is why the Sheriff’s Office determined it would be helpful to release John Conant’s booking photo.

Contant may have an extensive history of abusing school children, so detectives are looking into his employment history at other schools. They are also examining his phone and his computer.

In addition, Contant was a member of the Mendocino County chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), an international nonprofit focused on supporting and helping children who have been abused. BACA released a statement saying it was “deeply committed to the safety and emotional well-being of the children we serve.” BACA also emphasized its comprehensive vetting process, which includes training and FBI and Department of Justice background checks.

Cinnabar School District has not yet released any comment on the arrest of John Contant.