MORENO VALLEY, California — A former charter school teacher has been arrested following an investigation into allegations of inappropriate physical contact with a student, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Samantha J. Watson, a 41-year-old resident of Eastvale, California, was taken into custody without incident on Friday, May 22, 2026. Investigators booked Watson into the Robert Presley Detention Center on felony charges of digital penetration, oral copulation, and sending harmful material to a juvenile.
The investigation began on January 28, 2026, when the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Station Investigation Bureau received reports concerning inappropriate contact between an educator and a student at a local school. Due to the nature of the allegations, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit was brought in to oversee the investigation.
Through the course of the inquiry, detectives determined that the inappropriate contact took place between 2017 and 2018. During that timeframe, Watson was employed as a teacher at a charter school located in the 23000 block of Sunnymead Boulevard in Moreno Valley.
The investigation culminated when law enforcement officers served a search warrant at a residence in the 14000 block of Silent Stream Court in Eastvale, where Watson was apprehended.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit stated that the investigation remains active and ongoing. Authorities believe there may be additional victims and urge anyone possessing relevant information to contact Master Investigator D. Schell at 951-955-1704 or the Sheriff’s Dispatch at 951-776-1099.
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