Elementary School Teacher Surrenders To Old Sex Crime Charges

PALO ALTO – A Palo Alto elementary school teacher surrendered Wednesday night to charges of sex crimes against the daughter of his former live-in girlfriend that occurred over a span of three years, ending more than 10 years ago, according to a police press release posted by the City Of Palo Alto.

Palo Alto police say the crimes occurred before 34-year-old San Mateo resident Michael Christopher Airo was employed as a teacher, and there is currently no indication that there are any additional victims.

Until this week, Airo was working as a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Ohlone Elementary School in Palo Alto. According to authorities, the District has placed Airo on unpaid compulsory leave.

According to the report, in May 2014, detectives at the Palo Alto Police Department received a mandatory report of child abuse from a psychologist. It stated that a victim, now a woman in her twenties, had disclosed that her mother’s former live-in boyfriend had sexually abused her in their Palo Alto home on multiple occasions beginning when she was 11 years old and lasting until she was 13.

The abuse occurred between 2002 and 2005.

Detectives say they determined that Airo met the victim’s mother while he was working as an aide at an after-school program at El Carmelo Elementary School in Palo Alto in 1999. At the time, police say, the 8-year-old victim was a student at that school.

Eventually, Airo began dating the victim’s mother and eventually moved in with them.

By the time the case had been reported to the police, the report says, Airo had been hired as an elementary school teacher by the Palo Alto Unified School District. Palo Alto detectives say they investigated the suspect’s work history with the District, and do not believe there were any additional victims.

Four felony charges face the suspect, including one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child and three counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14.

A judge issued a warrant for his arrest on January 6. He self-surrendered at the Santa Clara County Main Jail Wednesday evening, January 13. Police say Airo immediately posted $500,000 bail.

Anyone with other information about this incident is asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413.

Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through their free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

-image via Palo Alto Police Department