A former Salinas High counselor who videotaped students having sex in his office pleaded no contest April 8 to 56 charges, including molestation.
Gilbert Olivares will be sentenced to 16 years in state prison next month, says Deputy District Attorney Rolando Mazariegos.
Olivares was first arrested in March 2012 after the sister of a victim, then 14, found inappropriate messages the counselor sent via Facebook. A week later, Olivares, out on bail, was arrested again when police found videos of students having sex in his office taken with a hidden camera.
Police found 11 victims in 13 of the videos. Families of three victims were in court for the plea.
“Gilbert Olivares was supposed to counsel and help my son,” the mother of the then 14-year-old victim told the Weekly in a statement through her attorney, David Ring. “Instead he took advantage of him. My son has had a very difficult time with this and continues to struggle every day.”
Ring is representing the teen in a lawsuit against Olivares, Salinas Union High School District and Sunrise House, which places substance abuse counselors in schools.
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