UPDATE

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District says a principal failed on two occasions to let officials know about sexual abuse claims against a veteran teacher who was arrested this week on similar allegations.

Superintendent John Deasy said Thursday the former principal at George De La Torre Jr. Elementary School didn't notify district officials of claims against 57-year-old Robert Pimentel. Deasy says the first report was four years ago at the school and the other was eight years ago at another elementary school where both the principal and Pimentel had worked.

Deasy sought to have both the principal and Pimentel fired, but both retired after the allegations surfaced last March.

Pimentel faces 15 felony counts and is expected to appear Thursday in a Long Beach courtroom. He's being held on $12 million bail.

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WILMINGTON (CNS) - A former fourth-grade teacher at George De La Torre  Jr. Elementary School in Wilmington was in custody today on suspicion of  sexually assaulting 20 children and one adult.

Robert Pimental, 57, of Newport Beach, went to work for the Los Angeles  Unified School District in 1974 and left his job when the investigation began  in March, police said. He was arrested Wednesday.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed eight counts of  continuous sexual abuse and seven counts of lewd acts upon a child against  Pimental.

Pimental was being held at the LAPD's Metropolitan Detention Center in  lieu of $12 million bail. The school district informed parents of the arrest  via a recorded phone call.

``The investigation began when several girls told their parents that  they had been inappropriately touched by a fourth-grade teacher,'' said  Detective Gus Villanueva of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations  Section.

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