A longtime administrator of a San Diego County boarding school is accused of sexually molesting at least six former students, according to police.
Jeffrey S. Barton, 55, of Oceanside worked at the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad from 1995 to 2013 and was the Head of Schools, according to police.
Barton was arrested Thursday night and booked into the Vista Detention Facility. Officials said he will be held on $2.1 million bail.
Carlsbad police started investigating Barton in June after an alleged victim, now an adult, reported sexual abuse.
Police believe there could be more victims. Anyone with information is asked to call the police hotline at 760-931-2276.
Barton is scheduled to be arraigned Monday. He faces 16 felony charges, including forced oral copulation and sodomy.
About 300 boys in grades 7-12 currently attend the Army and Navy Academy, according to the school’s Web site.
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The school’s president, Brig. Gen. Stephen Bliss (Ret.), released this statement late Thursday night:
We are deeply concerned since nothing is more important to us than the safety and security of our cadets - past and present. Now that an arrest has been made, the Academy will begin its own independent investigation.
