Can social media achieve what the court system can’t?

The criminal justice system can move slowly. The case of The People of the State of California v. Juan Govea, filed Jan. 9, 2017, at first was no different. Govea, then 35, was arrested in December 2016 on felony charges of sex with a minor, a girl who was 17 at the time. He’d recently finished 11 years as a biology teacher at Salinas High School, and left for a job as director of exhibits and education at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History; the alleged victim was a former student. Govea’s case was different only in that it was moved from Monterey County Superior Court to San Benito County Superior Court – Govea’s mother, Lydia Villarreal, is a judge, and the entire bench of her colleagues recused themselves.

The case proceeded from there, wending its way through court, until a trial date of Aug. 28, 2017.

Jane Doe, by then 18, refused to testify in court. The charges were dismissed, and Govea remained in his job at the museum; his California teaching credential remains valid.

An entirely different, and much faster, process played out in recent days. A different young woman came forward with a detailed account that begins in school with a flirtatious exchange, followed by playing a game on an app; when she finally won, she says Govea invited her to his home, where he served dinner and Champagne, followed by peach vodka. After that, she claims she was too drunk to go home. She spent the night and they had oral sex.

That’s an account provided not in court, but in an anonymous Instagram post on Aug. 29 on the account @thisisour831. Four days later, a letter to museum administrators was signed by 15 former staffers, calling for Govea’s resignation. The next day, Sept. 3, Executive Director Jeanette Kihs and board member Tama Olver announced in an email to museum staff, “I have accepted the resignation of Juan Govea… We have experienced a very difficult time and are committed to learning from it and moving forward.”

I’ve since spoken to a half-dozen current and former colleagues of Govea’s who describe varying degrees of horror that he remained in his job in 2017. One Salinas high school biology teacher says she canceled plans to bring a student science club to a citizen science program at the museum when she learned he was still working there. A former board member, dismayed to find Govea in attendance at a meeting while he was on leave in 2017, is no longer a donor or member.

The @thisisour831 account was created by a Salinas woman in her early 20s who wanted to offer a platform to reveal patterns of abuse and to create accountability, particularly with the music scene in mind. She says she didn’t know Govea’s alleged victim before she received an Instagram message.

Both were surprised to see such a swift and tangible response. “She was very happy with his resignation, and very happy to have shared something that happened to her, because it did generate a lot of support,” the account creator tells me.

I have not been able to verify the identity of the victim or speak to her myself. Nor have people who called upon the museum to terminate Govea. (Some are now calling for Kihs’ termination, for failing to take action three years ago.)

This case raises questions about how social media fills in the blanks when the criminal justice system doesn’t result in a conviction. And even if it does, what does vigilante justice mean for a defendant’s rights? Courts require prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a suspect is guilty. Social media requires only that enough public pressure is applied.

I reached out repeatedly to museum officials, and none responded. I tried to reach Govea but didn’t hear back. That silence creates a vacuum where there might’ve been a defense – instead, the social media cry is the only one that’s heard.

District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni says in 2017, her office investigated claims there might be other victims, but found none. “I would encourage any victim of sexual assault to report,” Pacioni adds. “We have service for victims – if they’re struggling, they are qualified for services [primarily counseling] through our victims unit, whether there are charges or not.”

Because both women were minors at the time of the alleged crimes, prosecutors can file (or re-file) charges until their 40th birthdays.

SARA RUBIN is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@mcweekly.com.