The former Ventura County school counselor, arrested in November on suspicion of abusing eight young children, was charged with 14 indecent felony charges against children after five more victims moved forward, authorities said.
David Lanebruff Jr., 42, of Thousand Oaks, is currently facing 31 counts of child abuse, including a total of 13 male and female victims, according to an amended criminal charge filed Tuesday by prosecutors with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. He is scheduled to be arrested on the new charges May 21st, prosecutors said.
Bluff was initially accused of abusing eight students, ages 6 to 10, at the school office of McKebbett Elementary School in Santa Paula, where he worked as a counselor from 2015 to 2019. In November, court documents revealed that 17 felony acts were not pleaded against children under the age of 14.
He is currently being held at the Ventura County Jail in lieu of $3 million bail.
Ventura County District Attorney Eric Nasalenko has announced that David Lane Bluff Jr., 42, of Thousand Oaks, has been arrested on suspicion of abusing eight children at McKebbett Elementary School in Santa Paula. On Tuesday he was charged with 14 new felony counts on alleged abuse of five additional victims.
(Ventura County DA)
Since his arrest, four additional victims have come forward from McKebbett Elementary School. Additionally, the fifth new victim, allegedly abused between 2004 and 2005, came forward, but Bluff was employed in the Conejore Creation and Park area of Thousand Oaks.
“The defendant is currently accused of abusing a younger victim in multiple years and locations,” Ventura Disto said. Atty. Eric Nasalenko said in a statement. “Our investigators and prosecutors are still committed to clarifying the full scope of this defendant’s crime, urging anyone with information to contact our office.”
Over the past 24 years, Bluff has worked in 10 different school districts and youth sports facilities in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, prosecutors said. He holds many roles, including counselor, sports coach, childcare assistant, alternative teacher and behavioral therapist.
At the time of his arrest, Bluff was working as a principal and school counselor at Ingenium Charter Middle School in Winnetka, prosecutors said.
He faces augmentation of sentences that claim he has used his position of trust, preying on particularly vulnerable victims, committed planning and sophisticated crimes.
Prosecutors continue to seek additional victims and encourage those with information related to suspected bluffing abuse.
Previous workplaces in Bluff include the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Moore Park Unified School District, ABA Network, Inc., Brightstar School, Rio School District, Sports Academy Thousand Oaks, and Ventura Unified School District.
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