Ukiah High School’s journalism teacher was arrested early this week for allegedly inappropriate messages with a 17-year-old girl.
Matthew LaFever, a 37-year-old Hopland resident and publisher of the MendoFever website, is accused of asking a 17-year-old girl to send him inappropriate photos while also sending scantily clad photos of himself, Ukiah police said in a press release.
Investigators initially received a tip on Oct. 16 from someone who said that LaFever had allegedly made an inappropriate sexual comment toward her daughter. Detectives then learned that a different Ukiah High student had information about Lafever contacting minors on social media, according to police.
The 17-year-old girl said she spoke with LaFever on social media and informed him that she was a minor, but he allegedly continued to make sexually suggestive comments and asked her to send him inappropriate photos while taking scantily clad and inappropriate photos of himself, police said.
Detectives located LaFever at the Ukiah High campus and seized his cellphone and multiple laptops, but he declined to provide a comment to them.
Authorities were able to confirm the social media interaction with the 17-year-old along with evidence that LaFever was allegedly reaching out to numerous minors around Mendocino and Sonoma counties, often using variations of the screenname “Johhnyender” across different social media platforms, police said.
Ukiah police obtained a warrant for LaFever’s arrest on suspicion of knowingly annoying or molesting a minor, and he was taken into custody at his home at about 7 a.m. Monday. He was booked into Mendocino County Jail, and jail booking logs show that he posted a $10,000 bond and was released around noon.
LaFever was not immediately available for comment on the arrest. The Ukiah Unified School District issued a statement saying the district placed him on administrative leave Oct. 16 when first notified of the allegations.
District superintendent Deb Kubin said, “The safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement and conducting our own internal investigation. We will continue to communicate with families as appropriate while respecting the privacy rights of all involved.”
School counselors will be at the campus this week to provide support for students, according to the district.
