CASTRO VALLEY — A former high school teacher who had been charged with 18 felonies for alleged continued sexual abuse of a student will avoid jail or prison through a plea agreement to a lesser offense, court records show.
Keita Hasegawa, 32, pleaded no contest on Aug. 21 to meeting a minor with intent to commit a sex offense, a felony. In late September, he’ll be formally sentenced to one year in prison with a major caveat: The past year Hasegawa has spent out on bail, with a GPS ankle monitor, will count towards his “prison” term, leaving him with no time left to serve, according to court records.
Hasegawa’s sentencing has been set for Sept. 26. Prosecutors are expected to dismiss his other charges, which included allegations of molesting the girl and communicating with lewd intent, court records show.
Hasegawa was charged last year, and posted $600,000 bail soon after his arrest. He has spent the last year working at a restaurant in the Bay Area and abiding by conditions that include a victim restraining order, GPS ankle monitoring, staying away from unaccompanied minors, and stay off social media, court records show.
The victim is a former student who was 14 and 15 at the time of the alleged molestation, according to police. Hasegawa knew her since she was 11, when he taught at Creekside Middle School. Police say he kissed her when she was 13 and sexually molested her when she attended Castro Valley High School, both on campus and off.
The charged offenses occurred in 2021 and 2022, according to prosecutors. But Hasegawa didn’t come under suspicion until March 2023, when the high school’s principal, Chris Fortenberry, reported to police that Hasegawa admitted to being at the girl’s home while she was going through a mental health crisis, ostensibly to provide “moral support,” according to authorities.
As police explored why a music teacher would have personally gone to a teen girl’s home, they discovered rumors were flying around the high school about Hasegawa pursuing the girl. Some students claimed they’d seen Hasegawa deleting lewd text message conversations between him and the girl, which Hasegawa adamantly denied, prosecutors say.
After seizing Hasegawa’s phone, police found evidence he requested the girl record lewd audio of herself for him, called her “gorgeous” and discussed specific sex acts with her, according to court records.
In April 2023, several students spoke out against Hasegawa at a school board meeting, calling him immature and that he made life “uncomfortable” for girls under his supervision. His lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment.