Teacher held on suspicion of raping student

Pol ice arrested a teacher at a special needs adult education center on suspicion of raping an adult student who had the intellectual capability of a young teen, authorities announced in a news release Thursday.

The suspect, Daniel Gonzalez, 55, may be charged with a felony rape count Friday morning when police investigators will review the case with county prosecutors. Gonzalez was arrested at an undisclosed time, but police say they received a report Dec. 7 that Gonzalez was having sex with a “disabled adult student.”

“The Concord Police Special Victims Unit led the investigation and determined the adult student had an intellectual development level of a young teenager and therefore is considered a dependent adult. … It is illegal to have sex with a person who is incapable of consent due to a mental or developmental disability,” the police news release said.

Gonzalez was a teacher at the Loma Vista Adult Center in the 1200 block of Carlos Avenue in Concord. The alleged victim was enrolled in a program that teaches independent living skills, police said.

Gonzalez was employed through Mt. Diablo Unified School District’s Adult Education Department. According to the website Transparent California, which tracks salaries of public employees, he received $ 95,815.40 in salary and benefits last year.

When the school district learned of the allegations, Gonzalez was immediately placed on an administrative leave of absence, police said.

Gonzalez is being held in lieu of $2 million bail, according to jail records.

Police are investigating the possibility there are more victims and ask anyone with information to call the Concord Police Department Special Victims Unit at 925- 671- 3020.