A vice principal at a Riverside County high school accused of having sex with three current and former male students is married to a San Diego County police officer, law enforcement sources confirmed to NBCLA on Friday.
Erin Henton, 45, a vice principal at Tahquitz High School, was arrested Wednesday after allegations surfaced March 8 that she had sexual relationships with current and former students, police said.
Erin Henton is married Tim Henton, a lieutenant with the El Cajon Police Department in San Diego County, according to law enforcement sources and his LinkedIn profile.
Law enforcement officials said he filed for divorce shortly after the allegations surfaced and is devastated by the allegations.
Erin Henton, who is in a Riverside County jail, faces charges including unlawful intercourse with a minor and oral copulation with a minor, according to the Riverside County Jail inmate information website. She has pleaded not guilty.
Outside court Friday, Henton’s San Diego attorney, Stephen G. Cline, said he is reviewing the case and that she and her family are distraught.
The incidents were believed to have happened off-campus over a period of several months, Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart told the Associated Press.
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One of the boys’ parents discovered the relationship and reported it to authorities, police said. Henton had been under investigation since March 8, the same day she was placed on administrative leave by the school.
Detectives say they found evidence including emails and texts of lewd pictures and videos sent by Henton to the students.
Police did not yet know how the relationships began and did not release the ages of the alleged victims.
“We take these situations very seriously and have taken appropriate personnel actions in response to this arrest to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” the Hemet Unified School District said in a statement on Wednesday.
The district had said March 15 it was assisting in the investigation of an unnamed school employee.
Henton oversaw the school’s student council and athletics and assisted in discipline, according to media reports.
