Crime & Safety

OC Teacher Arrested For Sending Lewd Texts To Teen

A Foothill High School teacher allegedly caught in a sting was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sending lewd text messages to a minor.

A Foothill High School teacher allegedly caught in an online sting was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of exchanging lewd text messages with a minor.
A Foothill High School teacher allegedly caught in an online sting was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of exchanging lewd text messages with a minor. (Renee Schiavone/Patch)

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A Foothill High School teacher allegedly caught in an online sting was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of exchanging lewd text messages with a minor.

Roger Kavigan, 55, of Long Beach was placed on paid administrative leave at the north Tustin high school, according to Tustin Unified School District officials.

Kavigan is accused of exchanging inappropriate messages with someone in an online sting through a TikTok video, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Find out what's happening in Orange Countyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

A resident in an unincorporated area of Santa Ana called deputies at about 7 p.m. Friday regarding the video in which someone confronted the teacher about an inappropriate text message with a child, according to deputies.

Sheriff's investigators say Kavigan posed as a minor to engage in the text message conversation. He was arrested Monday on suspicion of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sex assault. He was being held on $100,000 bail, according to jail records.

Find out what's happening in Orange Countyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Parents in the school district were told in a message that when the incident was brought to the attention of educators they immediately contacted law enforcement. Officials said the teacher was "immediately placed on indefinite administrative leave."

School officials were alerted to the incident by a student late Saturday night.