Clovis woman accuses then-high school teacher of 2005 rape. Will there be a trial?
A former Clovis East High School teacher, accused of raping a student 16 years ago, will face trial on sexual assault charges, a Fresno County Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.
Kia Yang, 44, who taught world history during the 2004-2005 school year, is charged with rape, lewd act upon a child and sexual penetration by foreign object. If convicted on all charges he could face up to 14 years in prison.
Yang, who is represented by Stephanie Negin, has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to return to court Dec. 3 for arraignment in Dept. 33.
Prosecutor Andrew Janz said it’s possible Yang could face more charges based on the accuser’s testimony Thursday.
The alleged victim, now 31, tearfully recalled how as a sophomore Yang allegedly raped her as the two were alone in his classroom in 2005.
The woman testified that Yang assaulted her on multiple occasions, including fondling her breasts and touching her vagina when she was 15 years old.
She said she had mentally buried the alleged assaults for years until recently when she began seeing a therapist. She also found out she has a terminal brain disease and she did not want to die without people knowing the truth.
At the time of the alleged assaults, the woman said she was afraid to tell anyone about Yang.
“He told me not to tell anybody,” she said. “Or, he would kill my parents.”
As Yang’s alleged assaults continued, so did his odd behavior. The woman testified that Yang began appearing disheveled and he started losing teeth.
He came over to her parent’s house to bring her a gift, a CD of Hmong music, but she refused to see him.
“I was in my room hiding,” she said.
Her mother called the school to complain about his visit.
Yang was eventually fired in 2005 after he walked out of his classroom mid-period and never returned, said Jeff Eben, the former principal at Clovis East.
Eben said he recalled Yang’s personality began to change. He became moody and withdrawn. Eben said he was told from one of the teachers that Yang was using drugs.
Yang’s defense attorney, Negin, objected to Eben’s statement that Yang was on drugs and Judge Jonathan B. Conklin ordered it stricken from the record.
Court documents do show, however, that Yang has been arrested several times over the last five years for possession of a controlled substance.
This story was originally published November 18, 2021 at 5:57 PM.
