OC Man Inappropriately Touched High School Students, Police Say

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — An Anaheim man suspected of repeatedly contacting students and inappropriately touching several of them where he formerly taught high school in Riverside County was arrested Thursday.

Chad Joseph Costello, 44, was booked into the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside on suspicion of multiple acts of sexual battery and annoying a child under 18 years old.

Costello is being held on $75,000 bail.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, an investigation was initiated in April after administrators at Roosevelt High School, on Scholar Way in Eastvale, alerted deputies to allegations by students that their teacher -- Costello -- had committed unspecified offenses.

The Corona-Norco Unified School District initially placed the suspect on administrative leave but ultimately dismissed him, sheriff's Sgt. Mike Kelleher said.

He said the investigation continued, culminating in detectives gathering sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant this week.

It was served on Costello at his State College Boulevard residence shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday. He was taken into custody without incident.

The number of alleged victims, their genders and interactions with Costello were not disclosed.
It was also not immediately clear how long the former educator worked at Roosevelt High, nor which grade levels and subjects he taught.