A former Vallejo City Unified School District teacher pleaded no contest Monday in Solano County Superior Court to multiple sex crimes involving two minors.
JohnPaul Cagandahan Acac, 46, appeared in Department 15 in the Justice Building in Vallejo, where he entered no-contest pleas to 11 felony counts. They included five counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child 14 and 15 years old; four counts of oral copulation with a person under 16 and 18; two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object with a person under 16 and 18.
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Three counts, including an attempt to dissuade a witness, were dismissed. While Acac did not admit guilt, he indicated that he would offer no defense.
Hearing the pleas, Judge Brian J. Kim immediately found Acac guilty and referred the matter to the Solano County Probation Department for a presentencing report and scheduled sentencing at 9 a.m. April 14. Acac remains in Solano County Jail on bail set at $585,000.
Martinez-based attorney Michael P. Semansky represented Acac. Deputy District Attorney William J. Moser led the prosecution.
As previously reported, during a previous court hearing in the case, Moser called the facts of the case “very serious,” and told Judge D. Scott Daniels that he had conducted a “thorough investigation” to warrant the criminal complaint filing on Dec. 17, 2024, citing 14 felony charges.
Continuing his remarks, Moser alleged that Acac had “sexual relations with students” at Vallejo High School and “took advantage of students,” citing instances of vaginal intercourse, digital penetration and oral copulation.
Daniels asserted there was enough evidence to warrant more proceedings, then vacated a previously scheduled Jan. 7 preliminary hearing and ordered Acac and Semansky to return for a preliminary hearing setting at 9 a.m. Feb. 3. The judge maintained a criminal protective order and the bail amount against Acac.
In a brief interview following the hearing, Semansky told The Reporter that Acac was once honored as a teacher of the year. He also said the victims “were friends” with his client, and one of them recently “saw him at a party at Genentech” (now owned by the Swiss firm Lonza) in Vacaville “and called the police.”
Court records show that Vallejo police on Dec. 19 arrested Acac, a Vallejo resident, in the 1300 block of Legeng Circle on suspicion of multiple felonies, including lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and intimidating a witness or victim.
Acac began working for the school district in the fall of 2005. He held multiple positions as a teacher and athletic coach at Vallejo High School and the John Finney Education Complex. The charges against him involve allegations that date from 2011, 2012 and 2013, the criminal complaint showed.
On Dec. 20 Acac appeared in a Fairfield courtroom for initial arraignment, where, in Department 24, then-Commissioner Bryan J. Kim noted the felony counts involving mostly one of two girls. Acac pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
That same day, Vallejo City Unified Superintendent Rubén Aurelio issued a statement to parents and guardians, assuring them “that the safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority.”
“We were informed of a situation involving Acac that required immediate investigation on Nov. 15, 2024,” Aurelio wrote. “We immediately placed the teacher on administrative leave and referred the matter to local law enforcement. Please be advised that this teacher did not step foot into any District classroom or otherwise have access to our students once we were notified he was under criminal investigation. This teacher’s employment with the District ended on Dec. 9, 2024, and he was arrested and booked on multiple felony charges on Dec. 19, 2024.”
The superintendent said that he understood that the news of this kind may prompt questions and concerns. He urged those to contact the VCUSD ocmmunications office at communicationsoffice@vcusd.org.
“Safety in our schools is a shared responsibility,” Aurelio said. “Please remind your child to speak to a trusted adult at school if they see or hear anything that feels uncomfortable or out of place. Please encourage them to avoid gossip and rumors, which can create unnecessary confusion and stress.”
