Pretrial to begin for teacher

A Huntington Beach man and high school teacher accused of engaging in sexual acts with an underage student is expected to begin preliminary trial Thursday.

Christopher John Ontiveros, 42, pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object of a minor and one count each of distributing harmful sexual material to a minor, oral copulation with a minor and contacting a child with intent to commit sexual penetration.

He was also charged with one misdemeanor count of sexual battery. The charges hold a maximum sentence of six years in state prison.

Ontiveros was a history teacher at Oxford Academy in Cypress, where he is accused of sending a 17-year-old female student sexual text messages and making unsolicited sexual advances.

He is also accused of sexually assaulting the girl in his classroom at Oxford Academy and in his car.

Ontiveros is out on $100,000 bail.

— Britney Barnes