California 'Teacher of the Year' Arrested for Alleged Sexual Abuse of Former Student

A California "Teacher of the Year" award recipient was arrested for alleged sexual abuse of a former 13-year-old student.

After being chosen one of the five 2022-23 San Diego County teachers of the year, 34-year-old Jacqueline Ma told a local news outlet in August that being a "champion" for the kids was important.

Ma, a sixth-grade California teacher at National City's Lincoln Acres Elementary School, was arrested on campus earlier this week.

She was arrested based on multiple felony charges, including lewd and lascivious acts with a kid under 14, Insider reported.

In a press release, the National City Police Department said they had detained Ma on Tuesday or a day after receiving a call from a "concerned parent who suspected that her 13-year-old child was possibly having an inappropriate relationship with a former teacher."

California Teacher of the Year Re-Arrested After Being Released on Bail

Aside from several counts of sexual exploitation involving a child, Jacqueline Ma's charges also include dissuading a witness or victim, according to ABC 10.

Ma was eventually released on bail after being arrested on the grounds of Lincoln Acres Elementary on Tuesday. However, she was arrested again on Thursday.

Before her arrest, Ma was under surveillance, according to National City police, who said that investigators discovered "probable cause to re-arrest her on new felony counts."

"There must've been some evidence somewhere that prompted them to believe this crime would continue," said Frank Bradley, a retired SDPD sex crimes investigator.

According to Bradley, the re-arrest and new charges may be related to the fact that these investigations frequently change course.

"It's rarely over in its initial stage because you may get more victims, so you keep probing," said the retired SDPD sex crimes investigator.

Sexual predators are typically attractive, said Jessica Pride, a lawyer specializing in sexual assault and other sex offenses.

Pride and Bradley suggested that Ma's accusation of dissuading a witness or victim could indicate that she attempted to contact the person to influence the outcome of the inquiry.

"It's unclear whether that contact was an explicit request to have them keep quiet or not participate in the investigation or something implied like reaching out and saying, hey, contact me on Facebook," said Pride.

Many counts of possessing or distributing child pornography were also filed against Ma.

Pride noted that this means she was messaging or sending the student porn or photographs of a sexual nature. Ma's arraignment is set for Monday afternoon.

California Teacher Had Great Connection With Her Students

Jacqueline Ma was one of five educators honored with Cox Communication's "San Diego County Teacher of the Year" award for 2022-2023.

Ma's profile announcing her award noted that she "considers the relationships she maintains with her students her greatest accomplishments."

Many Lincoln Acres parents who spoke to NBC 7 agreed that Ma was popular among her pupils, but a few expressed concerns.

Aileen Carillo said Ma was "over the top" in her communications with her younger brother, who was one of Ma's former students.

"She would go to my brother's games in Tijuana every weekend. She went to one of his birthday parties, everything," she noted, adding that she used to ask her mom why the teacher always texts her brother.

She also said that Ma had contacted her, which she initially thought was nice as the California teacher seemed to care, but she later realized it did "not have to be that close."

The California teacher was arrested and booked into the Las Colinas Women's Correctional Center, and the district was reportedly seeking to replace her.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: National City 'Teacher of the Year' Arrested for Sexual Misconduct With a Child - From CBS 8 San Diego