La Mesa

A church school official has pleaded innocent to charges of failing to report child molestation of students by a former principal of the La Mesa school.

The Rev. Gottfried Herbert Hoffman, 65, was arraigned Monday on a felony charge of being an accessory after the fact to the molestation committed by the principal and for failure to report the child abuse to authorities, a misdemeanor.

Eugene Lee Petersen, 37, the former principal of the St. Luke’s Lutheran Church Day School, 5150 Wilson Ave., pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of performing lewd acts with two girls, ages 12 and 13, from the school.

The charges against Hoffman were filed Oct. 28 by the district attorney’s office. Hoffman was the senior pastor at St. Luke’s for many years.

“He (Hoffman) failed to report (the abuse) and then covered it up,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Aaron Katz.

Katz declined to go elaborate on further details on Hoffman’s case. He said it was merely coincidental that both Hoffman and Petersen were in court Monday.

San Diego Municipal Court Judge Robert McDonald allowed Hoffman, a La Mesa resident, to remain free on his own recognizance. A preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 18.

The charges state that Hoffman aided Petersen between March 30 and April 6 by his alleged knowledge of the molestation. Hoffman is not accused of participating in any of the molestations.

Petersen will be sentenced Jan. 5 and faces a maximum three years in jail with a $3,000 fine. He also remains free on his own recognizance.