A former Ukiah High School journalism teacher and publisher of the now-shuttered news website MendoFever hasd pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge after being accused of having inappropriate communications with a minor, his defense attorney confirmed.
Matthew LaFever was arrested in November 2025 on suspicion of asking a 17-year-old girl for explicit photos while also sending revealing images of himself. On April 7, LaFever was charged with a misdemeanor count of allegedly annoying or molesting a child under 18.
LaFever’s attorney Orchid Vaghti confirmed that his pretrial conference is set for June 23 and his jury trial for July 20.
LaFever did not appear in court Monday, but Vaghti appeared on his behalf. State law allows those accused of most misdemeanors to appear by counsel alone. Vaghti had no comment about the case following the hearing.
The Ukiah Unified School District in February suspended LaFever without pay and dismissed him from his position as a permanent certificated employee with the district, saying he allegedly engaged in inappropriate online conduct with a female student via the social media platform Snapchat, including sending photos of himself in various stages of undress.