The Murrieta Police Department arrested Wayne Kenneth Conklin on Wednesday.
A Thompson Middle School teacher was arrested by Murrieta police Wednesday on suspicion of child sexual assault.
Wayne Kenneth Conklin, 50, was taken into custody at 7:45 a.m. near Madison Avenue and Kalmia Street and was booked into Southwest Detention Center, jail records show. He is being held on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, sexual abuse of multiple victims, and dissuading a witness — all felonies.
According to an announcement Wednesday from the Murrieta Police Department, allegations against Conklin surfaced July 16 and stemmed back to 2016.
Officers “became aware of an alleged sexual abuse against minor children that was reported to have occurred in 2016 at a residence in the City of Murrieta,” according to the MPD announcement.
The case was assigned to the police department’s Detective Bureau, which determined that Conklin sexually abused two children in 2016. Information about the alleged victims was not available.
According to his bio on the Murrieta Valley Unified School District website, Conklin graduated from Cal State University San Marcos in 1999 and got an internship at the district. He later earned his teaching credential and has worked at Thompson Middle School for 23 years.
With his arrest, the MVUSD placed Conklin on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of his case. According to an MVSUD statement, he is not allowed on any school district property.
The statement said the district is working cooperatively with Murrieta police.
“The district takes every reported act of misconduct seriously,” according to the MVUSD statement. “The top priority of the district is the safety of all students and staff. We hold this responsibility at the highest level and are grateful for our partnership with the Murrieta Police Department.”
Conklin has no felony convictions in Riverside County. In 2009, he was convicted of misdemeanor disturbing the peace, court records show.
Anyone with additional information pertaining to the case can contact Murrieta Police Detective Eric Velazquez at 951-461-6340 or evelazquez@murrietaca.gov.
