Wow. I hope this leads to some healing for Jamie.
When the statute of limitations for sexual abuse came up before one California woman could work up the courage to report her abuser, she took the matter into her own hands. A California woman identifying herself as Jamie, claiming that a teacher had molested her, said she recentlyfound the teacher's phone number and confronted her. Jamie taped the whole conversation.The now-28-year-old Jamie claims the abuse began when she was just twelve years old. Her video of the confrontation, posted on Friday, has already garnered over 397,000 views on YouTube.
"The stature of limitations has already run out," Jamie explains in the video, "so she gets away with everything that she has done. So I decided I'm going to call her to get some answers from her."
That teacher was an assistant principal at a nearby school district until recently. Although it hasn't been officially confirmed, a vice principal at Alhambra High School resigned after receiving a link to the video.
Alhambra police contacted Jamie and verified the authenticity of her claims in the video before referring the complaint to the Riverside Police Department, according to a news release.
Later that day, Tellez-Gagliano said, Alhambra High School’s vice principal of student services, Andrea Cardosa, resigned.
Cardosa was hired less than four months ago, Tellez-Gagliano said. She had "stellar recommendations," and the district completed a background check before hiring her, Tellez-Gagliano said.
Jamie said Monday she would seek legal action to ensure her alleged abuser never works with children again. In a halting voice at a news conference Monday afternoon in front of Alhambra High School, Jamie alleged her former teacher molested her until she graduated from high school.
“She told me that my family didn’t love me. That nobody cared about me, that she was my only friend and the only person who cared about me,” said Jamie, flanked by her attorney and her fiance.
May Jamie's closure be swift and complete. I have a feeling she will get the justice she seeks. In the video, Cardoso not only acknowledges her abuse, but claims she was trying to "help" Jamie.
Good riddance, Alhambra High. I just wish Jamie had found the courage sooner.
