A school aide in California is facing a potential five-year prison sentence after confessing to engaging in sexual activities with a minor. Lisette Ortega Veles, 32, was employed as a third-party worker at a high school in the San Diego area when she met the 17-year-old boy. Veles pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation with the minor at Mar Vista High School.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the situation on May 19, following reports of an inappropriate relationship between a student support aide and an underage male student at the Imperial Beach campus. An investigation was subsequently launched, revealing that Veles had been involved in a year-long illicit relationship with the student, which took place off-campus.
Investigators found sufficient evidence to charge Veles, who they believe attempted to prevent the student from disclosing the sexual assault. Veles was employed at the high school as a student support aide through Ro Health, a third-party contractor that provides schools, nursing homes, and other facilities with skilled mental health professionals and nurses.
Veles was arrested on May 21 and faced multiple charges related to her relationship with the minor. These included oral copulation with a victim under 18, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor more than three years younger, arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes, communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a lewd act, and attempting to dissuade a victim.
Veles is set to be sentenced on October 29 at the South County Courthouse in Chula Vista. She could face up to five years in state prison. The plea deal Veles accepted did not include a predetermined sentence, leaving the judge to decide her fate at the sentencing hearing.
Ro Health has responded to the incident, asserting that they conduct thorough background checks, including federal blueprint clearance, as part of their hiring process. The company stated, “At Ro Health, safety is our top priority. It is our privilege to serve the medically fragile population, and we are committed to doing so with the highest degree of care. As such, we take these allegations extremely seriously. We are doing everything we can to investigate the issue and to respond appropriately.”