CASTRO VALLEY — A former high school teacher who was charged with 18 felonies for allegedly continuing sexual abuse of a student will avoid prison under a plea deal to a lesser offense, court records show.
On Aug. 21, Keita Hasegawa, 32, pleaded not guilty to meeting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, a felony. In late September, he will be formally sentenced to one year in prison with one important caveat: The year Hasegawa spent out on bail, with a GPS ankle monitor, will count toward his “prison” sentence, leaving him with no more time to serve, according to court records.
Hasegawa’s sentencing has been set for Sept. 26. Prosecutors are expected to drop his other charges, which included allegations of sexually assaulting the girl and communicating with lewd intent, according to court records.
Hasegawa was indicted last year and posted $600,000 bail shortly after his arrest. He has spent the past year working at a San Francisco Bay Area restaurant and abiding by conditions that include a victim protection order, GPS ankle monitoring, removal from unaccompanied minors and distancing from social media, according to court records.
The victim is a former student who was 14 and 15 at the time of the shooting, police said. Hasegawa had known her since she was 11, when he taught at Creekside Middle School. Police say he kissed her when she was 13 and sexually assaulted her while she was attending Castro Valley High School, both on and off campus.
The incidents Hasegawa is accused of occurred in 2021 and 2022, prosecutors said. But Hasegawa wasn’t suspected until March 2023, when high school principal Chris Fortenberry reported to police that Hasegawa had admitted to being at the girl’s home while she was going through a mental health crisis, apparently to provide “moral support,” authorities said.
As police investigated why a music teacher had personally visited a teenage girl’s home, they discovered rumors circulating at the school that Hasegawa was pursuing the girl. Some students claimed to have seen Hasegawa delete lewd text messages between him and the girl, which Hasegawa categorically denied, according to prosecutors.
After seizing Hasegawa’s phone, police found evidence that he had asked the girl to record obscene sounds of herself for him, called her “beautiful” and discussed specific sexual acts with her, court records show.
In April 2023, several students spoke out against Hasegawa at a school board meeting, calling him immature and “clumsy” toward the girls under his care. His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
