A teacher who has worked for more than two decades at a Murrieta middle school was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexually abusing two minors.
Police are now seeking other potential victims.
Wayne Kenneth Conklin, a 50-year-old teacher at Thompson Middle School, is accused of sexually abusing two minors at a home in Murrieta in 2016. Police said they became aware of the allegations on July 16.
Conklin was arrested Wednesday morning on three felony charges: lewd or lascivious acts on a child younger than 14, continual sexual abuse of multiple victims and discouraging a witness or victim from reporting to police. He was booked into the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center, where he was being held in lieu of $1-million bail.
A Murrieta Valley Unified School District spokesperson confirmed Conklin was a teacher in the district and had been placed on unpaid administrative leave. He is not allowed on school district property, according to a statement from the district to the Thompson Middle School community that was shared with The Times.
“The district takes every reported act of misconduct seriously. The top priority of the district is the safety of all students and staff,” the statement said. “We hold this responsibility at the highest level and are grateful for our partnership with the Murrieta Police Department.”
According to Conklin’s page on the Thompson Middle School website, which has since been taken down, he graduated from Cal State San Marcos and worked at the school for 23 years, spending summers in professional development at UCLA.
Authorities asked those with information, or any potential victims, to contact Det. Eric Velazquez at (951) 461-6340 or evelazquez@murrietaca.gov.