A woman currently working as a teacher in Woodland has been arrested after an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct in a previous county she worked in.
On Tuesday, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office announced that 25-year-old Mika Yoneda had been arrested on suspicion of having a sexual relationship with a juvenile male student.
Yoneda Accused of Having a Sexual Relationship with Student While She was a Teacher at Monterey County School
The arrest stems from an investigation at North Monterey County High School, where Yoneda had worked as a teacher from 2022 to 2023. In addition to her teaching job, she was also providing services as a private tutor.
The sheriff's office said they received a report about a boy allegedly being in a sexual relationship with a teacher at the school – and detectives soon identified Yoneda as the suspect. Yoneda was working at Woodland High School in Yolo County at the time of the arrest, but Monterey County authorities noted they're not aware of any allegations against Yoneda in that area.
School District Releases Statement, Confirms Yoneda Has Been Placed on Administrate Leave
In a statement, the Woodland Joint Unified School District noted that Yoneda had been placed on administrative leave.
"The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. At this time, we are not aware of any WJUSD students who are connected to this criminal investigation. However, we are cooperating with the Monterey County Sheriff's Office and the teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the Monterey County Sheriff's Office investigation," the district said.
Yoneda has been booked into Monterey County Jail for arranging to meet with a minor, contacting a minor with intent to have sex, sex with a minor, lewd acts with a child and sodomy of a person under 18, per the Monterey County Jail. She is being held on a $1,500,000 bail.
