California Teacher Accused of Molesting Six Additional Girls
A California teacher facing criminal charges after a student alleged they were molested by the educator is now accused of molesting six additional girls in three lawsuits filed against the school district.
Allegations Against the Teacher
Four young girls accused 42-year-old Matthew Shelton, a fifth-grade teacher at Robert Semple Elementary School in Benicia, of sexually abusing them in a lawsuit filed on April 24. Five days later, a fifth student filed a lawsuit that made similar allegations against the teacher.
Previous Allegations and Charges
Those lawsuits both followed one filed on April 9 by a fifth-grade student who claims she reported allegations of abuse to the school’s principal in February. That suit also alleges another student made a similar allegation a few months before her and that the school did little to investigate.
Those lawsuits were filed after police charged Shelton with five felony counts of lewd acts with a child under 14. Two additional counts were then added after police spoke with another alleged victim of the teacher.
Previous Allegations and Acquittal
Shelton had previously been accused of molesting four students while working as a third-grade teacher at Edison Elementary School in Napa. The Vallejo Sun first reported on those previous charges earlier this year.
Current Allegations and Lawsuits
The lawsuit filed by the four Jane Does alleges that Shelton sexually abused a 6-year-old student during the 2015-2016 school year, and multiple students while chaperoning the school’s annual overnight camping trip for fifth-grade students in 2022.
The fifth and sixth Jane Doe allege that Shelton sexually abused them as well on a school field trip or in his classroom in their separately filed lawsuits.
Legal Actions and Criminal Trial
Shelton is now taking legal action against the Napa Valley School District to block the release of records about his time as an educator in the county. He is also preparing for his upcoming criminal trial.
According to the complaint, the charges in that case stem from events that allegedly occurred between September and December 2022.
School District Response
The school district has placed the principal at the elementary school, Christina Moore, on paid administrative leave. When asked for comment, the school district sent a letter to parents announcing the decision to place Moore on leave to investigate allegations from pending litigation.
The school district did not address any questions regarding Shelton directly, nor did they address allegations regarding the vetting process in hiring him.