Sep 3, 2009 7:09 pm US/Eastern
L.I. Teacher Arrested Twice For Underage Sex
Daniel Rothbard, 28, Accused Of Having Sex With Two Girls, Ages 15 & 13
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Daniel Rothbard, 28, is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl and 15-year-old girl.
CBS
For the second time this summer, a Long Island teacher is facing sex charges involving underage teenagers. Police say Daniel Rothbard lured young girls online and it's believed there may be more victims.
Rothbard, a 28-year-old elementary school math teacher in Franklin Square, is accused of befriending underage girls through social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook and then having sex with them. His parents walked out of court without talking to reporters.
Police say the arrest is not Rothbard's first. He was taken into custody on July 21 for having sex in the parking lot of a school in Suffolk County with a 15-year-old girl. In the course of that investigation, Suffolk Co. police tipped off Nassau Co. police that a friend of that 15-year-old girl told them that she had sex with Rothbard on July 7 at his house.
At the time, Rothbard lived in the house with his wife, who was about to give birth to their first child. Now the house is empty and for sale.
Neighbors at the time were in disbelief.
"He seemed like a very nice young man. I'm sad to hear it and they're a lovely couple," said Candy Riggio one of the Rothbard's neighbors at the time.
Rothbard's lawyer, Todd Greenberg, spoke after his arraignment Thursday afternoon and said he remains on suicide watch.
"One can imagine that under these charges, which he pleaded not guilty to is extremely, extremely upsetting for a young man," said Greenberg, Ends "So, out of proportion I think that's the best thing to do in this case"
Police think there are more girls out there.
"I have a 28 year old male who has now been charged by two police departments with two felonies, engaging in sex with a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old. I of course suspect that there are more girls out there and we will do our best to pursue that," said Nassau Co. Police Lt. John Allen.
The Valley Stream school district has been pursuing terminating Rothbard's employment. Until then, they've put out a statement saying he is barred from school property and barred from having any contact with children or their parents.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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