Murrieta School Teacher Formally Charged With Lewd Acts On Children

MURRIETA, CA — A Thompson Middle School teacher who was arrested this week by Murrieta police on suspicion of child sexual assault was formally charged Friday.

Wayne Kenneth Conklin, 50, is facing two felony counts of a lewd act with a child under 14. He also faces a sentencing enhancement of committing sex crimes against multiple victims, court records show.

Conklin is scheduled for arraignment Aug. 23 and remains jailed at Southwest Detention Center. His bail was set at $1 million.

Conklin was arrested at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday near Madison Avenue and Kalmia Street.

According to an announcement that day from the Murrieta Police Department, allegations against Conklin surfaced July 16 and stemmed back to 2016.

Officers "became aware of an alleged sexual abuse against minor children that was reported to have occurred in 2016 at a residence in the City of Murrieta," according to the MPD announcement.

The case was assigned to the police department's Detective Bureau, which determined that Conklin sexually abused two children in 2016. Information about the alleged victims was not available.

According to his bio on the Murrieta Valley Unified School District website, which has since been deleted, Conklin graduated from Cal State University San Marcos in 1999 and got an internship at the district. He later earned his teaching credential and has worked at Thompson Middle School for 23 years.

With his arrest, the MVUSD placed Conklin on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of his case. According to an MVSUD statement, he is not allowed on any school district property.

The statement said the district is working cooperatively with Murrieta police.

"The district takes every reported act of misconduct seriously," according to the MVUSD statement. "The top priority of the district is the safety of all students and staff. We hold this responsibility at the highest level and are grateful for our partnership with the Murrieta Police Department."

Conklin has no felony convictions in Riverside County. In 2009, he was convicted of misdemeanor disturbing the peace, court records show.

Anyone with additional information pertaining to the case can contact Murrieta Police Detective Eric Velazquez at 951-461-6340 or evelazquez@murrietaca.gov.