Police seeking more victims in teacher molestation case

Following a recent revelation in court that Paradise Valley Elementary School teacher John Loyd is now suspected of sexually assaulting four children, Morgan Hill police are seeking anyone who might have had inappropriate contact with the suspect over the years.

The Morgan Hill Police Department issued a notice Dec. 3 urging past victims to come forward, and listed a history of Loyd’s professional background dating back to the 1980s.

Loyd, 52 of Hollister, was arrested Oct. 2 after the first victim—a student at Paradise Valley—told a school staff member Loyd had inappropriate contact with her in his classroom, according to authorities.

Loyd has been a fifth-grade teacher at the school since 2008, but Morgan Hill Unified School District placed him on administrative leave after his arrest. He started teaching in MHUSD in 2000 at Nordstrom Elementary, his last assignment before his transfer to Paradise Valley.

Since his first court appearance Oct. 7, the case against Loyd has grown as investigators have identified four young female victims who claim they were molested by the teacher. The latest victim said she was molested by Loyd while he was teaching at Nordstrom Elementary School more than six years ago, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

Loyd remains in custody at the County Jail on several charges of lewd and lascivious acts toward a child. Each count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to authorities.

Prior to his employment at MHUSD, Loyd worked at numerous schools in the Hollister School District, including Calaveras, Fremont/Ladd Lane, Gabilan Hills, Rancho San Justo, R.O. Hardin and Sunnyslope, according to police. He worked as a substitute teacher at San Benito High School from 1999 to 2000.

Loyd was also the director at Nordstrom Child Development Centers Inc. in Morgan Hill from 1992 to 1995, police said.

He was a Youth Leader and Camp Director with the East Valley YMCA and the South Valley Family YMCA from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, according to police.

During his career at MHUSD, Loyd also taught summer school at several schools in the district, police said.

“Morgan Hill Police are looking for anyone else who may have been a victim or know someone who was a victim of John Loyd,” the MHPD release said.

Any victim or anyone else with information about this case can contact MHPD Detective Mindy Zen at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867.