One of two victims of sexual abuse by a former Vallejo City Unified teacher said at his sentencing Monday that she was “groomed and raped by someone in a position of power in my life,” crimes that occurred more than 13 years ago while a student a Vallejo High.

Reading her victim-impact statement in Solano County Superior Court in Vallejo, the victim, now an adult and married, said her relationship then with JohnPaul Cagandahan Acac created “doubt, confusion and shame.”

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Seated at the prosecutor’s table in Department 15, she told Judge Bryan J. Kim that “several times I tried to end the relationship.”

At one point during the relationship with Acac, she believed she was pregnant and he urged her to have an abortion.

Additionally, the victim told the court that, as a adult, she avoids “certain sexual acts”  because they “trigger memories.” She also stated that she has sought counseling and used medications to deal with those memories.

A second victim read her victim-impact statement, while Acac, clad in a jail jumpsuit and standing next to the jury box with his defense attorney, continued an expressionless stare directly at the judge.

Afterward, Kim heard from Deputy District Attorney Willilam J. Moser, who prosecuted the case and, said, “Given the nature of the case,” Acac should be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

In his client’s defense, Acac’s attorney, Michael P. Semansky of Martinez, cited “a pretext call” — one set up by law enforcement, recorded, and which an alleged victim contacts a suspect under the guise of seeking an apology or explanation — and “apologized to the victim” while Acac was in Solano County Jail, where he remained on $585,000 bail.

The explanation had no effect on Kim, who then recited the 11 counts to which Acac pleaded no contest on March 17: five counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child 14 and 15 years old; four counts of oral copulation with a person under 16 and 18; two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object with a person under 16 and 18. (During an earlier proceeding, three counts, including an attempt to dissuade a witness, were dismissed.)

As he spoke, the judge enumerated the amount of time each guilty verdict entailed, for a total of eight years in state prison.

Kim denied probation for Acac, ordered him to pay $10,000 in fines, and gave him credit for 117 days in custody. And he will be required to register as a sex offender for life.

As previously reported, during an earlier court hearing, Moser called the facts of the case “very  serious,” and told Judge D. Scott Daniels that he had conducted a “thorough investigation” to warrant the criminal complaint filing on Dec. 17, 2024, citing 14 felony charges.

Continuing his remarks, Moser alleged that Acac had “sexual relations with students” at Vallejo High School and “took advantage of students,” noting instances of vaginal intercourse, digital penetration and oral copulation.

Daniels asserted there was enough evidence to warrant more proceedings, then vacated a previously scheduled Jan. 7 preliminary hearing, rescheduled it for Feb. 3 before Acac eventually pleaded in March.

In a brief interview following the hearing, Semansky told The Reporter that Acac was once honored as a teacher of the year. He also said the victims “were friends” with his client, and one of them recently “saw him at a party at Genentech” (now owned by the Swiss firm Lonza) in Vacaville “and called the police.”

Court records show that Vallejo police on Dec. 19 arrested Acac in the 1300 block of Legend Circle on suspicion of multiple felonies, including lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and intimidating a witness or victim.

Acac began working for the school district in the fall of 2005. He held multiple positions as a teacher and athletic coach at Vallejo High School and the John Finney Education Complex. The charges against him involve allegations that dated from 2011, 2012 and 2013, the criminal complaint showed.

On Dec. 20 Acac appeared in a Fairfield courtroom for initial arraignment, where, in Department 24, then-Commissioner Kim noted the felony counts involving mostly one of two girls. Acac pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

That same day, Vallejo City Unified Superintendent Rubén Aurelio issued a statement to parents and guardians, assuring them “that the safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority.”

“We were informed of a situation involving Acac that required immediate investigation on Nov. 15, 2024,” Aurelio wrote. “We immediately placed the teacher on administrative leave and referred the matter to local law enforcement. Please be advised that this teacher did not step foot into any District classroom or otherwise have access to our students once we were notified he was under criminal investigation. This teacher’s employment with the District ended on Dec. 9, 2024, and he was arrested and booked on multiple felony charges on Dec. 19, 2024.”