A contracted student support aide at a San Diego-area high school pleaded guilty Thursday to having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student and faces up to five years in state prison, court records show.
Lisette Ortega Veles, 32, admitted to unlawfully engaging in sexual intercourse and oral copulation with the minor she met at Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach, the San Diego County district attorney’s office said. Investigators said the off-campus relationship spanned roughly a year and that detectives found probable cause to charge her following reports that prompted police to respond to the campus on May 19. Ortega was arrested May 21 and initially charged with multiple sex crimes, authorities said.
According to charging documents and local news reporting, detectives alleged Ortega tried to keep the student from telling anyone about the encounters. Besides the counts to which she pleaded guilty, she had been charged with arranging a meeting with a minor for the purpose of committing a lewd act, communicating with a minor with intent to commit a lewd act and attempting to dissuade a victim.
Ortega had been employed at the high school through Ro Health, a third-party contractor that places nurses and mental health professionals in schools and other care settings. In a statement to News 7 San Diego, Ro Health said it conducts “thorough background checks,” including federal blueprint clearance, and called safety a top priority. "We are doing everything we can to investigate the issue and to respond appropriately," the company said.
Her plea agreement does not include a stipulated sentence, and a judge will determine her punishment at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Oct. 29 in the South County Courthouse in Chula Vista, according to court records reviewed by media outlets. Local reporting and court filings indicated she faces a statutory maximum of up to five years in state prison.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and the district attorney’s office opened an investigation after school officials and community members reported the alleged conduct in May. Authorities have said the incidents cited occurred off campus but involved a student with whom Ortega had contact while assigned to the school.
California law generally criminalizes sexual activity between adults and minors under 18, and prosecutors typically pursue charges when investigators find evidence of unlawful contact or attempts to conceal the conduct. The district attorney’s office has not released additional comment beyond confirming the guilty plea.
Mar Vista High School is part of the Sweetwater Union High School District. District officials did not immediately release a detailed statement about the case, but local reporting noted the matter involved a contracted, rather than district-employed, aide.
The case underscores scrutiny of third-party contractors who provide support services in K-12 settings and the processes schools and vendors use to screen and supervise staff. Ro Health said it uses a Joint Commission–approved employee screening process and reiterated that student safety is paramount.
Ortega’s conviction will be entered at the upcoming sentencing, at which the court may also consider any additional recommendations from prosecutors, defense counsel or victim advocates. The matter remains charged and subject to any appeals or post-conviction filings permitted under California law.