More complaints surface after Hoover High associate principal arrested on pornography charges

San Diego Unified officials received more complaints accusing a Hoover High associate principal of inappropriate behavior with students in the days following his arrest on felony sex crime charges. 

Charles De Freitas, 43, was arrested at his home on March 20 and charged with three counts: sending to a minor harmful matter depicting an adult engaged in sexual conduct, possessing matter depicting a person under 18 in sexual conduct and contacting a minor to commit a sexual offense.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges. De Freitas was released from custody after posting bail for $25,000 and was ordered to stay 100 yards away from all San Diego County schools and parks. Law enforcement can search him, his vehicle, his home and electronics at any time. 

While at Hoover High, De Freitas’ pay and benefits totaled roughly $150,000 in 2022. The school district notified him that he was being placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest “pending the outcome of an investigation.” He has since been placed on unpaid leave. 

If convicted, De Freitas faces up to four years in prison.

School records that inewsource obtained show that the day De Freitas was arrested, Hoover High Principal Tracey Makings filed a report with the district saying that a girl claimed De Freitas sent “inappropriate videos of himself” in his office to her boyfriend, a fellow student. 

“It was reported there may be other potential victims,” the report reads.

Then, at least nine reports, from mostly students but also staff, came in after De Freitas’ arrest — allegations that he invited students to meet outside of school, allowed a student to choke him “in a joke way” and made comments about students’ physical appearances.

One complaint filed by a school employee reported that a student came forward, alleging she made De Freitas aware during the 2022-23 year that she was recorded without her consent having sex while intoxicated with another student.

De Freitas said there would be an investigation and later brought in the student accused of filming the act. But he never checked devices or “pursued any investigative channels,” the report said. 

“If staff witnesses or has information about a student sharing child sexual abuse material, it should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator,” Maureen Magee, the district’s communications director, told inewsource. 

The Office of Investigations, Compliance and Accountability (ICA) will conduct an investigation if it falls under Title IX – a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying, she said. And if not, the school site will conduct an investigation. Magee added that the information would also be reported to Child Protective Services and police if there’s “reasonable suspicion that the report is true.” 

San Diego Unified’s ICA Department “paused its administrative investigation pending the criminal case;” however, the district and school police are cooperating with investigators at San Diego Police Department “as needed,” Magee said. 

Hoover’s principal Makings and one of its associate principals Corina Barcenas Schultz publicly announced in April that they would be stepping down from their positions. Both will work at another district site next school year, but district officials have not said where. 

Publicly available information about De Freitas’ case has been difficult to track down. Court staff were unable to locate the criminal case file when inewsource twice visited Superior Court– where the documents are supposed to be housed– and the San Diego Police Department has refused to disclose information it’s typically required to provide under state law.

inewsource requested information about De Freitas’ arrest  and any complaints filed against him since the beginning of the year. But the Police Department swiftly denied the request, saying an individual’s criminal history is not releasable under the Public Records Act and that there are no complaints related to De Freitas to provide. 

The department did not say how it made an arrest without the existence of a complaint. 

The information being withheld could offer further insight into the circumstances surrounding the arrest, and whether any others have filed complaints or requests for assistance dealing with De Freitas.

David Loy, legal director at the California-based advocacy group First Amendment Coalition, said while individuals are innocent until proven otherwise, the public has a right to obtain access to this type of information. 

“When teachers or school staff are accused of serious offenses like this the community has a compelling interest in understanding the nature of the case and charges,” he said.

De Freitas has worked for the district for more than 13 years, first as a teacher at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts in the Bay Terraces neighborhood and then as an administrator at Hoover High in City Heights.  

San Diego police said at the time of his arrest that it was prompted by a minor who “indicated” that De Freitas sent and requested illicit images through social media.

Patrick Griffin, an attorney representing De Freitas, told inewsource he’s unable to comment and provide an update on the case because he’s still awaiting to see most of the discovery information, which has not been released to him by the San Diego County District Attorney’s office yet. 

“Until we have the actual evidence, we just really cannot start to evaluate what’s going on,” Griffin said, emphasizing that the District Attorney’s office is working on getting him the documents. 

Among the complaints that the district received is that De Freitas had “unprofessional boundaries with students.” One report from a former student said “many” of their friends had De Freitas’ phone number and Discord, a messaging app.

Students also claimed De Freitas:

• Made comments about people’s appearances, including that some boys at the campus were “cute” and had “potential,” and that one girl’s tight shirt caused her “breast to come out.” 
• Showed students content of naked or shirtless men on his Instagram account, according to two complaints. 
• Invited students to his home for dinner, would go to their houses or offered to take students to a restaurant without parental consent. One student said when they asked De Freitas if he would get in trouble for meeting students outside of school, he responded, “What is the school going to do, they can’t fire me.”
• Allowed a student to choke him “in a joke way,” one complaint said. De Freitas laughed “with no concern,” according to the student who reported the incident, adding that “this was not the first time we had seen behavior like such.”
• Told two boys to go back to class after they walked into his office asking for snacks, and when one of them told De Freitas, “Shut up before I kiss you,” De Freitas “brushed it off and just laughed,” according to the report. Afterward, a student who witnessed the incident told the associate principal, “One of these days you’re going to get accused of something because you don’t put a stop to it.”
• Followed a student into a bathroom that had been locked until De Freitas unlocked it at the student’s request. When the student was in a stall, they said De Freitas came into the bathroom to ask if they were OK. The student told him they didn’t think De Freitas could be in there. “I’m just gonna stand here and make sure everything is okay,” said De Freitas, according to the student, who left because the situation made them uncomfortable. 

The district said it hasn’t reprimanded De Freitas in the past for his interactions with students. However, one report shows officials took action with a student for his behavior toward the associate principal. 

That report details a concern about a relationship between De Freitas and a student between 2019 through 2022. A speech language pathologist from the district’s creative and performing arts school reported that the student had “inappropriate boundaries” and was “obsessing” over De Freitas, who was a teacher at the school.

The school set goals for the student through his individualized education program, also known as an IEP, which is a legal document that describes the services the school will provide a child in special education. A no-contact contract was also issued for the student, directing him not to approach De Freitas. A school staffer contacted the student’s mother after De Freitas was arrested, according to the report. 

“There’s a difference between a complaint and evidence of wrongdoing,” Griffin said. “Just the fact that there is a complaint, I think, should be given its due weight, but until that actually manifests itself into criminal charges, you know, it’s not something that we’re concerned with, because complaints are complaints, and ultimately it takes evidence to substantiate charges in our criminal justice system.”

Griffin said it’s his understanding that the case is based on one alleged victim and he would be “surprised” if additional victims were added to the case. But if there are additional victims, the District Attorney’s office would provide that information during the discovery, he said.

Police said after De Freitas’ arrest that it was seeking other potential victims, given the educator’s access to children. A department official said the case remains an active investigation. No additional charges have been filed since his arrest, according to the District Attorney. 

Griffin said in the near future he will release more details about De Freitas’ “background and what he’s been through in his life,” which he thinks “is going to be extremely relevant to understanding this case” and “of utmost importance to members of the community.”

De Freitas is scheduled to appear again in court on Aug. 13.