American evangelical megachurch christian school teacher of Arizona arrested for raping a female student.

Nathaniel Jon Pineda has been charged with 4 counts of sexual conduct with a minor, 4 counts of sexual abuse, and 1 count of luring a minor. 

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A Glendale teacher is facing multiple felonies after he was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing one of his students. Police confirmed that 35-year-old Nathaniel Pineda, a teacher at Dream City Christian, was booked into jail.

Court documents state on Jan. 4, an officer was called to a Glendale home after parents reported their 15-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted. The parents reportedly told police they had confiscated their daughter’s cell phone and found inappropriate text messages between her and Pineda. The victim told her parents the texts started at the beginning of the school year in August, and the two had sex a few months prior, court documents state. The teen confessed to saving Pineda in her phone as “Natalie” to avoid suspicions from her parents, police said.

According to authorities, text messages between the two showed Pineda asking the girl about sex and for sexual favors. The victim told investigators Pineda became “too manipulative” and begged her to be his girlfriend, telling her to wait for him so they could get married, court documents state. Pineda allegedly wouldn’t leave the girl alone, so she agreed to be his girlfriend. The two “dated” from late September to late October, court documents said. Police say that while they were together, Pineda would sneak the girl out of her home and into his mother’s house, where he lived, to have sex.

On Wednesday, Pineda told the victim to delete everything since he could go to jail “for their sexual text messages,” court paperwork states. Investigators say he told her they needed to “get their story straight,” and the girl had to deny everything they did together. According to police, Pineda also confessed to the victim he was scared of being arrested and said he would go back to his home in Guam “as soon as he could.”

On Thursday, police arrived at Pineda’s mother’s home and took him into custody. He was booked on four counts of sexual conduct with a minor, four counts of sexual abuse and one count of luring a minor. The school sent the following statement.

GLENDALE – Yesterday, a former employee of Dream City Christian School (DCCS), Nathaniel Pineda, was arrested by the Glendale Police Department for serious felony offenses involving misconduct with a minor.

DCCS first became aware of allegations concerning Mr. Pineda two weeks ago and immediately reported the information to law enforcement and removed Mr. Pineda from the school campus. Since that time, DCCS has been fully cooperating with the Glendale Police Department and honoring any requests the Department has made concerning its investigation.

DCCS would like to express its gratitude and appreciation for the diligence and professionalism displayed by the detectives at the Glendale Police Department during the course of its investigation.

The wellbeing of students is a top DCCS priority. Therefore, DCCS would request that the privacy of its students and families be respected, especially those who have been most affected by these events.

- Dream City Christian School spokesperson