SAN DIEGO —
The sixth-grade teacher, accused of sexual misconduct with a child, appeared in court Thursday for a bail review hearing. 34-year-old Jacqueline Ma’s attorney urged the court to grant her a pretrial release.
“It is simply unnecessary to hold Mrs. Ma on a no bail hold,” said defense attorney Mario Vela. “Mrs. Ma is prepared to accept any and all conditions that the court may impose.”
During her arraignment earlier this week, Ma pleaded not guilty to felony charges, including lewd acts on a child, witness intimidation, and multiple counts of child pornography.
At Thursday’s hearing, Deputy District Attorney, Drew Hart, insisted her ‘no bail’ status remain in place, reminding the court she has been accused of contacting the victim after she was first arrested.
“We saw on a device that this minor had access to that this defendant, using a screen name that she previously used, attempted to reach out to this minor,” said Hart.
The defense disputed the accusation, saying she did not reach out to the former student after posting bail last week.
“I’ve spoken with Mrs. Ma and Mrs. Ma irrefutably denies that claim,” said Vela.
Jacquie Ma was first arrested last week at Lincoln Acres Elementary School on felony charges of sexual misconduct with a child. She bailed out of the Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility, but was arrested again days later on additional charges.
In Thursday’s bail review hearing, the prosecutor described a forceable sex act that allegedly happened in the classroom between Ma and the 12-year-old child.
“When you groom a child for months, when you get him alone in a location that he’s been told his whole life is a safe place, that when you persist with sexual advances in that location after he tries to brush you off, that is duress,” said Hart in the courtroom.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge ruled to uphold her ‘no bail’ status.
“The evidence is clear and convincing that the defendant is a danger to the public and in particular, this victim,” said the judge. “She was a teacher in position of trust, a position of authority, and she convinced this child to engage in sex acts, so I’m going to keep bail as set.”
The National School District placed Ma on unpaid leave, claiming that according to policy, she cannot be fired unless she is convicted. Her classroom is considered a crime scene and will remain locked until the end of the school year. In the meantime, substitute teachers are filling the gap.
Jacqueline Ma will return to court later this month for a readiness conference and preliminary hearing.
WATCH RELATED: Court appearance for Jacqueline Ma, teacher accused of child molestation (March 2023).