Tuesday, Apr. 08, 2008

Teacher pleads in sex case

Says he's not guilty of 4 felony charges

The Pitman High School math teacher accused of having sex with a 17-year-old student pleaded not guilty Monday in Stanislaus County Superior Court.

Carl Kubicek is charged with four felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse. The complaint says the incidents occurred in a classroom at Pitman High, in the girl's home, at the home of one of her relatives and in the home of retired Turlock police officer Thomas Vincent. The girl was watching Vincent's house while he was on vacation, police said. Vincent was a friend of the victim's family.

Kubicek also faces one felony count of oral copulation and one misdemeanor count of exploitation of a minor, which suggests photographs or video was taken.

Kubicek's attorney, Frank Carson, said outside the courtroom that he's waiting to see police reports before he discusses the case. Kubicek's pretrial hearing is set for May 1.

Former Turlock police officer Jorge Cruz also is accused of having an unlawful sexual relationship with the same 17-year-old girl.

The allegations came to light when the girl's mother learned about the relationships and demanded an investigation. The two men did not know each other and the relationships did not overlap, police said. The cases are being handled separately.

Cruz is charged with one count each of sodomy with a minor, oral copulation with a minor and sexual intercourse with a minor, all felonies. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of dissuading a witness from testifying.

Cruz also is charged with one misdemeanor count of unlawful touching of a 16-year-old Turlock girl.

Both girls were Police Explorers, a program in which high school students shadow law enforcement officers.

Cruz is scheduled for a pretrial hearing April 28.

Both suspects are married with children and are free on bail. Cruz's wife has filed for divorce.

Bee staff writer Michael R. Shea can be reached at mshea@modbee.com or 578-2391.