D.A. Passed Up Chance to Extradite Fugitive Former LAUSD Sub Charged With Indecent Exposure, Possessing Child Porn

The District Attorney's office passed up a chance to extradite a former LAUSD and Inglewood substitute teacher, who had been accused of sexual misconduct on the job and had been charged with indecent exposure and possessing child pornography.George Hernandez fled to Jalisco, Mexico shortly after he was arrested and released on bail in 2010. Legal documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times show that in 2011 the D.A.'s office had a chance to extradite him after a bail bonds company found him, but it passed.

"We have evaluated the case and have determined that we will not seek the defendant's international extradition from Mexico on this case at this time," Deputy Dist. Atty. Ann Huntsman wrote, in a legal document at the time. "The case will remain open and the defendant is still subject to prosecution in this case."

Part of the reason for that decision a year ago was that the charges brought against him while he was a substitute teacher in Inglewood—possessing child porn and indecent exposure—fell just short of child molestation, a D.A. spokeswoman told the Times.

Hernandez's story is complicated. He had been accused of sexual misconduct three times while he was a substitute teacher at the LAUSD before he moved on to Inglewood. How he was able to switch districts while under a cloud of suspicion is getting more attention in light of the charges filed against teachers at Miramonte Elementary School (and other LAUSD schools) and the district's failure to lawfully report its investigation.