Redwood City Man Pleads Innocent To Lewd Conduct Charge In Court

REDWOOD CITY, CA -- A former school employee charged with sending lewd texts to a 14-year-old student and engaging in inappropriate behavior with her in 2017 re-entered a plea of not guilty today in San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City.

Ian Thomas Whiteman, a 40-year-old resident of Redwood City, had worked in the technology department of the Nueva School's San Mateo campus for about two years until he was put on administrative leave in the summer of 2017 when the teen girl's parents discovered intimate text conversations with Whiteman and reported them to school officials, prosecutors said.

Whiteman entered a not-guilty plea at his original arraignment in January. Since then, he has been free on $150,000 bail. Whiteman's trial date was set for Feb. 25, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. His defense attorney was not immediately available for comment.

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