Huntington Beach man arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with minors

A Huntington Beach man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of committing lewd acts with minors.

Police had been investigating Charles Jacques, 58, since March on allegations that he had engaged with lewd acts with a minor on multiple occasions, Huntington Beach police Lt. Brian Smith said. Throughout the investigation, detectives identified additional minor victims.

Officers served a search warrant on Jacques’ residence on Thursday morning, Smith said. They took him into custody for four counts, including forced oral copulation with a minor through force or fear, lewd acts with a minor under the age of 14, lewd acts with a minor and child annoyance.

Jacques’ bail has been set at $2 million. At the time of his arrest, he was employed by the Huntington Beach City School District, but Smith said police have not identified any district students as his victims.

In an email to HBCSD families Thursday, Supt. Leisa Winston said that Jacques has been employed by the district since 2009 and most recently worked at Moffett Elementary School.

“While we remain respectful of his right to due process, it is our responsibility and intent to support the HBPD investigation in any way we can,” Winston said in the email. “Consistent with our employment requirements, Mr. Jacques cleared employment-related background checks. Due to the legal constraints, which include the privacy protections of minors and confidential personnel matters, the details of this investigation and the minor victim(s) cannot be disclosed.”

Police are asking anyone with information regarding other possible victims to contact Det. Tim Emanuel at (714) 536-5977.

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