Parents Speak Out About Man Arrested on Child Sexual Abuse Charges, Former School Volunteer and Worker

[bc_video video_id="6055306906001″ account_id="5728959025001″ player_id="Hkbio1usDM" embed="in-page" padding_top="56%" autoplay="" min_width="0px" max_width="640px" width="100%" height="100%"] Two Palm Desert men were arrested for alleged crimes involving children, the sheriff’s department announced Tuesday. Deputies were alerted on Friday to an allegation of sexual abuse of a child that occurred in the 74000 block of Scholar Lane, Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Albert Martinez said. An investigation led to the arrests that afternoon of 28-year-old Devin Daniel Lujan, who was booked on suspicion of oral copulation of a minor under the age of 10, and 31-year-old James Anderson, who is accused of distribution of child porn and indecent exposure, Martinez said. Lujan was extensively involved at schools in Palm Desert as a volunteer and worker. He was involved at Bermuda Dunes Learning Center, College of the Desert and George Washington Charter School. "His demeanor with the kids just looking back, it’s sick," Corynne Betts, a mother of a Washington Charter student, said. Betts said she used to see Lujan everyday interacting with the kids at Bermuda Dunes Learning Center and George Washington Charter, where one of her three kids goes to school. "It was high fives and knew exactly his name and everything," she said about her son’ relationship with Lujan. "I was thinking, ‘How did you know so much about my son seeing him five minutes out of the day?" When the news broke, Betts said it was all that moms of students could talk about. They all urged each other to have a conversation with their kids about their interactions with Lujan. Betts describes her conversation with her son, "You’ve seen Mr. Devin around, have you ever been alone with him, has he ever been too friendly with you, has he ever harmed you?" Betts said her son was shocked and that "Mr. Devin is so nice, he would never harm a child." Other parents like Ivan Soria said he was "very uncomfortable" about the situation. "I’m glad he got caught and if there’s anything we can do to prevent that, I’d like to know what we can do," Soria said. Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said to contact them if you think your child was a victim. Betts said she knows Lujan worked as a babysitter in addition to his other jobs. She said this situation mostly surprised her because Washington Charter is known for its tight security. "The background checks have to be done and the finger-printing for volunteering and all that kind of stuff," she said. "People who haven’t been caught yet, they slip through." Betts called the situation a major wake-up call for parents to communicate with their kids. "Adults can be tricky, there’s some tricky adults," she said. "Even if they’re teachers or police officers or the most wonderful person that you can imagine, they can be tricky." In a statement, COD’s spokesperson Marion Champion said: "Devin Lujan was employed as a part time employee at the college from January 2015 through June 2017. Prior to employment he passed a full screening and background check, as is standard protocol for all district employees. The health and welfare of children in our care is our greatest responsibility and we will be cooperating fully with local law enforcement as they investigate this case." In a statement, Desert Sands Unified School District spokesperson Mary Perry said: "Desert Sands Unified School District confirms that Devin Lujin was a parent-volunteer at George Washington Charter Elementary School. Our records indicate that he went through the volunteer screening process. We will work with law enforcement on their investigation." Lujan and Anderson were released Saturday after posting bail of $55,000 and $30,000, respectively. Lujan is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 26, while Anderson’s arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 28, both at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. For resources to help with having a conversation with your child about sexual abuse, visit the Barabara Sinatra Children’s Center website: http://barbarasinatrachildrenscenter.org/