RICHMOND, CA – A now-former 35-year-old biology teacher was arrested earlier in April and has since been charged with 29 counts of various sex crimes involving minors, with prosecutors alleging there are at least seven underage victims involved in the case.
On April 6th, Anessa Paige Gower, who was reportedly a biology teacher at Making Waves Academy in Richmond, was arrested at her Sacramento home after she returned back from vacationing in Hawaii.
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The Costa District Attorney’s Office claims that Gower had victimized at least seven minors between 2021 and 2022, allegedly engaging in “numerous” illicit acts with children that ranged from sharing sexually graphic photos online, inappropriate touching, to outright sex.
Making Waves Academy Chief Executive Officer Alton B. Nelson, Jr. issued a public statement regarding the arrest of Gower, claiming they’d been internally investigating claims of a teacher who violated policy and alerted authorities when “additional highly concerning allegations” cropped up during their internal review.
“There is nothing more important than the health, safety and well-being of our students. During the course of an investigation into allegations that one of our teachers violated school policy, we learned of additional highly concerning allegations involving that teacher’s conduct. We immediately shared that information with authorities who are reviewing the matter. That teacher is no longer employed by Making Waves Academy and we have reached out to parents, students and faculty to provide support where it might be needed. At this time we can make no further comment.”
Officials have not released the ages or genders of the victims, but the school that Gower worked out of did host students from fifth grade to twelfth grade. Gower is currently being held on bail set at $1.9 million.
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The arrest of Gower marks another dark chapter in the history of Making Waves Academy, as the school in question played host to a former sixth grade teacher who was convicted of molesting 15 young boys for several years back in 2017.
Ronald David Guinto, who is currently serving a 931-year sentence for molesting the 15 boys, had worked at Making Waves Academy from 2011 to 2013 and had founded a youth program called Camp Epic while teaching there.
Making Waves Academy fired Guinto in November of 2013 after abuse allegations were reported, which the school quickly notified law enforcement and cooperated with the investigation. However, Guinto wasn’t arrested until March of 2014. Because of this, he was able to land another teaching role at Mira Vista Elementary School in El Cerrito in the months between his termination at Making Waves Academy and his eventual arrest.
Twelve of the former students who had been sexually abused by Guinto while at Making Waves Academy reached a collective $10.9 million settlement with the school in January of 2020.
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She was instructing the students on how to decide which gender they are.
Amazin. Surreal pedo?:). Hope all is well good reporting.
There needs to be a better vetting system for teachers. I vote for thorough background checks just like someone who works for any type of special ops. I mean up your ass vetting. Your old teachers, friends, family associates. These teacher unions need to go as well. That the one guy mentioned in this article got four more months of access to children??
I hate to break it to you but they all go through extensive background checks including NCIS and fingerprinting etc. Something is very wrong with his school if this is the second teacher since 2017 that has been arrested for sexually abusing children. There must be an attitude of pedophilia in that school or neighborhood for her to feel free to be able to molest children.
Ridiculous. 10 miliion payout Soldiers barely 18 get their legs blown off or killed for less.
This is what happens when laws are not enforced and the left agenda is pushed in the schools, did anyone with a brain stem think it was going to be any different.
The Lefist agenda will make crimes like these normal behavior once they successfully indoctrinate those in the system age 3 and up. Parents have no clue what is really being taught in books and curriculum in every classroom across the nation. If your kids are going to the library (at school) they are being pushed to read books that many would be arrested for discussing because the content is so explicit it reads like pure porn. Can’t even be read out loud at school board meetings. This needs to end!
The male teacher received 931 years, due to female privilege she will get 10 years probation
Just because a person’s records are clean does not guarantee anything. All the records therefore actually relate is that the person was never caught, charged, etc. Background checks, whoever thunk to do them forgot to warn everyone that crime happens until it is documented. Then and only then is a person known as bad. Only an extremely tiny amount of bad stuff is ever caught so society is actually over run with it. Just, nobody knows.