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By Lookout Staff

May 7 -- A veteran teacher at Santa Monica’s Lincoln Middle School could face life in prison after he was charged Tuesday with molesting five of his female students.

At his arraignment at the Airport Courthouse, Thomas Arthur Beltran, 60, was charged with 14 counts of sexual molestation, including three counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object on a child younger than 14 years old. The charges also included eight counts of a lewd act on a child and three counts of continuous sexual abuse. According to police, Beltran allegedly molested one of the students for more than a year.

His bail was set at $3.3 million.

Beltran, who has taught English as a second language at the prestigious public middle school for two decades and worked in the district for 30 years was arrested Saturday in Culver City
after police interviewed a 12-year-old student who claimed Beltran sexually abused her.

Police concluded other students may have been molested and interviewed all the students at the school who had any connection with Beltran, said Lt. Alex Padilla, the Police Department spokesman.

“There always is a possibility that more can come forward,” Padilla said. “We’re hoping that word will get to all parents of students who have had any connection with Beltran.”

The story quickly made headlines Sunday, and press and television crews swarmed the middle school campus for the opening of classes Monday.

The district offered counseling for students on Monday and Tuesday and a meeting with parents was held Monday night in the school auditorium.

Questions ranged from the measures the school was taking to screen employees to how parents should talk to their children about the startling news that has put the campus in the media spotlight.