Former Ocean View High School teacher Andrew Bueno Potts was arrested in 2018 after a 17-year-old boy reported sexual abuse. Potts later pleaded no contest to one count of sodomy of a person under 18, received a two-year state prison sentence, and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life. Attorney Paul Mones represented the survivor.
The Andrew Bueno Potts sexual abuse case began after a teenager reported that Potts sexually assaulted him while Potts was employed as a teacher at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, California.
The survivor was not a student at Ocean View High School. According to law enforcement and subsequent news reporting, however, he met Potts at a school science fair. Potts later allowed the teenager to live at his Long Beach residence.
The case raises important questions about what happens when a teacher allegedly uses the access, authority, or trust associated with his position to form a relationship with a minor.
It also demonstrates why an institution’s potential responsibility may need to be investigated separately from the criminal prosecution of an individual offender.
According to the Long Beach Police Department, the investigation began in July 2018 when a 17-year-old boy reported being sexually assaulted by Andrew Bueno Potts.
Authorities said the reported incidents occurred between July and December 2017.
Police alleged that three sexual assaults and one attempted sexual assault occurred during that period. Two of the alleged incidents reportedly occurred at Potts’ Long Beach residence, while another reportedly occurred during a trip to San Francisco.
Authorities also alleged that Potts gave the teenager alcohol and alkyl nitrate before some of the assaults. Alkyl nitrate is an inhalant that can produce euphoric effects.
Potts was employed as a teacher at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach when the abuse occurred. Although the teenager was not enrolled at that school, he reportedly met Potts through a school science fair.
Police arrested Potts at his Long Beach home on October 23, 2018.
Following the investigation, authorities accused Potts of several crimes involving a person under the age of 18.
The charges publicly reported at the time of his arrest included:
Potts was initially held on $500,000 bail.
An arrest and criminal charge are allegations rather than findings of guilt. The criminal case later resulted in a negotiated plea.
On February 1, 2019, Andrew Bueno Potts, also identified in court records as Drew Bueno Potts, pleaded no contest to one count of sodomy of a person under the age of 18.
A no contest plea means a defendant does not formally admit guilt but accepts a criminal conviction and punishment without contesting the charge.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the plea was entered as part of a negotiated agreement.
Prosecutors stated that the sexual assault occurred at Potts’ residence after he allowed the teenager to live with him between July and August 2017.
On February 22, 2019, the court sentenced Potts to two years in California state prison.
The court also ordered him to:
During the sentencing hearing, the survivor described the profound effects the abuse had on his education, employment, mental health, and ability to move forward with his life.
The survivor explained that the harm did not end when the assaults stopped. The consequences continued as he attempted to attend college and rebuild his life.
Paul Mones served as the survivor’s attorney and advocate.
Following Potts’ sentencing, Paul stated publicly that the abuse was connected to an inadequate hiring process used by the Huntington Beach school district.
Paul also said that he would represent the survivor in a civil lawsuit against school officials.
The criminal case focused on Potts’ conduct and punishment. A civil investigation could examine a broader set of questions concerning the institution that employed him.
Those questions may include:
Paul has spent more than four decades representing survivors of childhood sexual abuse and pursuing accountability from schools, youth organizations, religious institutions, and other powerful organizations.
Schools have a responsibility to take reasonable precautions when hiring and supervising adults who may have access to children and teenagers.
A civil claim involving abuse by a teacher may require an investigation into the institution’s conduct before and during that person’s employment.
Depending on the evidence, relevant records may include:
The fact that abuse occurred does not automatically establish civil liability against a school district. The institution’s potential responsibility must be evaluated based on the evidence and the applicable law.
However, a criminal conviction does not answer every question about how the offender obtained access, whether warning signs existed, or whether an institution could have acted differently.
The survivor was not a student at Ocean View High School.
According to reporting about the case, he nevertheless met Potts through a science fair held at the school.
That connection is significant because teachers occupy positions of authority and trust. A teenager may reasonably assume that an adult employed by a school has been properly screened and is considered safe by the institution.
When a teacher meets a minor through a school-related function, investigators may need to examine whether the institutional setting helped create the trust, credibility, or access that led to the relationship.
These issues are fact-specific and require more than a review of the final criminal charge.
When the Long Beach Police Department announced Potts’ arrest, detectives stated that they believed additional victims might exist.
Paul Mones later expressed the same concern after the sentencing.
It is not unusual for one survivor’s disclosure to lead others to recognize or report similar conduct. Survivors may remain silent because of shame, fear, trauma, threats, confusion, or concern that no one will believe them.
Some people do not fully understand what happened until years later. Others may know that they were harmed but feel unable to speak until another survivor comes forward publicly.
Anyone who experienced abuse or inappropriate conduct involving Potts should understand that delayed disclosure does not make the experience less serious.
A criminal prosecution is brought by the government and is intended to determine whether a defendant committed a crime.
A civil sexual abuse lawsuit is brought by a survivor. It may seek compensation and accountability from the person who committed the abuse and, when supported by the evidence, an institution that enabled or failed to prevent it.
A civil case may investigate:
The resolution of a criminal case does not necessarily resolve these institutional questions.
Civil litigation can uncover employment files, prior complaints, internal communications, training records, and other evidence that may not become public during a criminal prosecution.
California has changed its laws governing civil claims involving childhood sexual abuse. Whether a particular survivor can bring a claim depends on the person’s age, when the abuse occurred, the identity of the responsible parties, prior legal proceedings, and other case-specific facts.
A survivor should not assume that too much time has passed without having the circumstances reviewed by an attorney.
Potential evidence may still exist even when the abuse occurred years ago. School records, employment files, prior complaints, witnesses, emails, photographs, medical records, therapy records, and evidence involving other survivors may help establish what occurred.
You do not need to have every document or remember every date before speaking with an attorney. The first step can simply be explaining what happened.
Paul Mones has represented survivors of childhood sexual abuse for more than 40 years. His work includes cases against schools, religious institutions, youth organizations, and other entities accused of failing to protect children.
If you experienced sexual abuse involving a teacher, school employee, coach, or another trusted adult, you may have legal options.
Learn more about Paul Mones, Courtney Kiehl, and the firm’s work representing survivors in child sexual abuse lawsuits.
You can also contact Paul Mones PC to tell the firm what happened and request a confidential review of your situation.
Andrew Bueno Potts, also identified as Drew Bueno Potts, was a teacher at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, California. Police arrested him in October 2018 after a 17-year-old boy reported sexual abuse. Potts later pleaded no contest to one count of sodomy of a person under 18.
No. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office stated that the survivor was not a student at the school where Potts taught. According to reporting about the case, the survivor met Potts at a science fair held at Ocean View High School.
The Long Beach Police Department arrested Andrew Bueno Potts at his home on October 23, 2018. Police said the investigation began after the teenager reported the abuse in July 2018.
On February 1, 2019, Potts pleaded no contest to one count of sodomy of a person under the age of 18. The plea was entered as part of a negotiated agreement in Los Angeles County Superior Court case NA110551.
Potts was sentenced on February 22, 2019, to two years in California state prison. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life and to have no contact with the survivor for ten years.
Yes. Paul Mones served as the survivor’s advocate and attorney. Following the sentencing, Paul stated that he would represent the survivor in a lawsuit against school officials and raised concerns about the school district’s hiring process.
A school district may face civil liability when evidence establishes that its hiring, retention, supervision, reporting, or other institutional failures contributed to the abuse. Liability is not automatic and must be evaluated based on the specific evidence and applicable law.
The reported meeting may be relevant because a teacher’s position can create trust, credibility, and access. A civil investigation may examine whether the school setting helped facilitate the relationship and whether the institution took reasonable precautions when hiring and supervising Potts.
Yes. When police announced the arrest, detectives stated that they believed additional victims might exist. Paul Mones also expressed concern after sentencing that other survivors may not yet have come forward.
Potentially. A criminal prosecution and a civil lawsuit are separate proceedings. A civil case may seek compensation from the offender and, when supported by the evidence, accountability from a school or another institution whose failures contributed to the harm.
A survivor should not assume that it is too late to seek legal advice. California’s laws concerning childhood sexual abuse claims have changed, and eligibility depends on the specific dates, circumstances, parties, and procedural history of the potential claim.
No. Many cases begin with the survivor explaining what happened. An attorney can then evaluate whether school records, employment files, prior complaints, witnesses, medical records, communications, or other evidence may be available.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Every case is unique, and legal outcomes depend on specific facts and applicable laws. Some names, stories, and characters mentioned in this blog may be for illustrative purposes only and do not depict real individuals or events. Reading this blog does not establish an attorney-client relationship with Paul Mones PC, nor does it guarantee any specific legal result.
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