Montgomery County police arrested a 43-year-old camp counselor Friday for alleged inappropriate contact with an 11-year-old girl at his camp.
John Luis Casumbal Valenzuela of the 5400 block of Connecticut Ave. in Washington, D.C., is charged with third-degree sex offense and sex abuse of a minor.
The victim told special victims detectives that Valenzuela, known by the children as “Jolly,” worked as a camp counselor teaching magic classes and would touch her inappropriately during the lessons at Holton-Arms Creative Summer camp in Bethesda.
Valenzuela has been teaching magic at the camp since the summer of 2012. The school released a statement Friday, saying they were made aware of the allegation on Thursday and that the arrest had been made on Friday.
The school said it is cooperating fully with authorities.
"Holton‐Arms puts the highest priority on the emotional well‐being and safety of our students. We are and always have been committed to providing a secure environment for our children to learn and play," read the statement from Susanna Jones, Head of School.
"The school conducts comprehensive background checks of our summer counselors annually. We take these types of allegations very seriously," the statement read.
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Bond information is unavailable at this time.
Anyone who believes they were a victim of inappropriate contact with Valenzuela or has information is urged to call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5460.
