Former Teacher Accused of Soliciting Undercover Mountain View Officer Posing as Minor

By Bay City News: 

Mountain View police have arrested a former San Francisco teacher after he allegedly attempted to arrange to meet with a minor for sex.

 Harlan Edelman, a 52-year-old San Francisco resident, allegedly contacted a Mountain View Police Department detective who was posing as a 17-year-old male on a social network, Sgt. Saul Jaeger said Wednesday.

 During the subsequent investigation, Edelman allegedly sent sexually explicit material to the detective and arranged to meet with him in Mountain View, Jaeger said.

 San Francisco Unified School District officials said Edelman taught with the district from 1995 to 2013, most recently at the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has also taught at Lowell High School, Lincoln High School and the School of the Arts. However, he has not been a district employee since his resignation in September 2013, according to district spokeswoman Gentle Blythe.

 Blythe noted that the district conducts full background checks on all employees before they work with students, and if Edelman had been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor prior to or during his employment, the district "would take appropriate action based on that information."

 "There is nothing in Mr. Edelman's employment record indicating that there would be cause for concern," Blythe said.

 There is also no reason to believe Edelman's arrest is in any way related to his work in San Francisco, Blythe said.

 Police said they did not have any evidence that Edelman had contacted any other minors, but publicized the arrest in part because they hope to locate any other victims.

 "As with any crime, it's usually never their first time," Jaeger said. "Especially since this guy is targeting juveniles, if he's truly a predator then there's probably going to be other victims."

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