National Urban Teacher of the Year rearrested on additional charges including possession of child pornography

An award-winning National City teacher who was arrested last week on suspicion of child sex abuse was arrested again Thursday after posting bail on additional felony charges, including possession of child pornography, National City police said.

On March 7, National City Police officers arrested Jacqueline Ma, 34, who was a teacher at Lincoln Acres Elementary School, on charges of child sexual abuse after a worried parent suspected her 13-year-old child may have had inappropriate relationship with their ex. teacher.

On Tuesday, Ma was placed in the Las Colinas Detention Center on three counts of indecent and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and three counts of oral intercourse with a child under 14, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s Department records.

Ma was released on bail on Wednesday and was due to appear in court on March 14. Since then, NCPD detectives have continued to actively investigate the case and conducted a surveillance operation when detectives had a probable cause on Thursday to re-arrest Ma on additional felony charges. Ma was arrested at the 3300 block of National Avenue in the city of San Diego and transferred to the Las Colinas Detention Center, according to the NCPD.

Amber Frias of NBC 7 spoke to some parents about the allegations.

According to San Diego County Sheriff’s Department records, Ma faces 14 new charges related to possession of child pornography, sexual exploitation of a child, and “avoiding or dissuading a witness or victim.”

National City Police said they would not release further information as the victim is a minor and the investigation is ongoing.

NBC 7 contacted Superintendent Leighangela Brady and received the following statement:

Today, our community learned that Jacqueline Ma, a teacher at Lincoln Acres Elementary School, has been rearrested by law enforcement as their ongoing investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior with minors provided additional information for felony charges. While this whole situation is indeed deeply troubling, we appreciate law enforcement dedicating resources to find the facts and keep our school district and community informed of their progress. I want to confirm to our school community that an employee is on vacation and will not be returning to campus. I am grateful to our entire school community for facing this situation with a shared commitment to doing everything we can to ensure our children have an uninterrupted education.

Ma was named one of five teachers of the year 2022-2023 at Cox’s annual educator show. In Ma’s profile announcing her award, Ma told Cox that she “considers the relationship she has with her students as her greatest achievement.”

Ma is due back in court on Monday.

There was no other information.

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