Mary Star Teacher from Rancho Palos Verdes Met Victims on Tutoring Website: Police

By Alexander Nguyen
The Patch
January 11, 2017

http://patch.com/california/palosverdes/mary-star-teacher-rancho-palos-verdes-met-victims-tutoring-website-police


More details are immerging from the arrest of a Mary Star physics teacher for allegedly possessing child pornography.

Daniel T. O’Connell, 32, was arrested Tuesday, at his home in Rancho Palos Verdes, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police began investigating O'Connell after receiving information that he was allegedly "having inappropriate contact with minors that he met while on a mathematics tutoring website," according to an LAPD statement.

O'Connell is employed at Mary Star of the Sea High School in San Pedro as a physics teacher, police said.

The school's principal, Rita Dever, said in a letter to parents Tuesday that O'Connell's alleged activities did not include any students at the school nor did they happen on campus.

Anyone with more information on the case, or who might be a possible victim, was urged to call Lt. Andrea Grossman at (562) 624-4027, or (877) LAPD- 247.