Pastor, high school aid faces sex crime charges

LA CRESCENTA ? An aid to the Crescenta Valley High School aquatics team, who also worked as a youth pastor at the La Crescenta First Baptist Church, is facing child pornography and molestation charges, officials said.

Michael Huber, 50, of La Crescenta, will appear in Pasadena Superior Court Tuesday charged with eight felony counts of using a minor for sex acts, two misdemeanor counts of possession or control of child pornography and two misdemeanor counts of child molestation, said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Sheriff's from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station arrested Huber in November, Gibbons said.

Sheriff's, who served a search warrant on Huber's home last year, found evidence of child pornography, including photos, said Patrick Murphy, a detective with the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station.

Huber has since posted a $140,000 bail and is being electronically monitored at his home, Murphy said.

According to the complaint filed by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office in December, the five victims named were boys under 18 at the time of the alleged crimes, which date back to 1998, 2000 and 2005.

Huber was a youth pastor for several years with the La Crescenta First Baptist Church, and served in a similar role as an aid to the Crescenta Valley High School aquatics team, Falcon Coach Jan Sakonju said.

"He helped with supervision," he said. "What he did was if a student was having problems at home, be it with parents or substance abuse or anything that falls under the roll similar with what Huber did with the Baptist Church, he would help out."

School officials relieved Huber of his duties with the team after the charges were filed, Crescenta Valley High School Principal Mike Livingston said.

"We told him not to come anymore," he said, adding that he was shocked to hear of the news.

Many community members felt the same way, La Crescenta resident Alexa Ruegg said.

"It's scary for me because you know my kids know to watch, even as young kids my kids were always watchful," she said. "But a mom is supposed to protect their kids and it's hard when you have people in a trusting position. It's almost like a policeman or fireman or even a pastor or priest doing this. It's like how could this happen? It's so confusing."

Both of Ruegg's daughters, who were involved with the aquatics team when they were attending Crescenta Valley High School, knew Huber.

Ruegg has known Huber for at last the last seven years.

"Everybody loved him," she said. "I know he was real involved with certain kids who seemed to like have no father in their life ? no father figure ? and he was trying to be available."

Huber was well-liked and a supporter for the local teens, she said.

"It's not supposed to happen in La Crescenta, and I think everybody in their own home town would say that, too," Ruegg said. "I just don't understand how this could happen twice in the same community."

Ruegg referred to a similar case in 2004, when then Crescenta Valley High School teacher Rogelio Romero Gallardo was arrested on suspicion of secretly videotaping 25 girls in a campus bathroom, as they changed into smocks for his ceramics class.

He was sentenced in August to three years in state prison for the crimes.

If Huber is convicted of the charges, he will have to register as a sex offender with local law enforcement agencies for the rest of his life.

His preliminary hearing is Tuesday.