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Paul Varoff — Oak Ridge High School Band Teacher Faces 10 Felony Sex Crime Charges Involving a Minor
El Dorado Hills, California • Case No. 26CR0109 • El Dorado County Superior Court
Case Summary
The following information is derived from the criminal complaint filed by the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office press release, news reports, and El Dorado County Superior Court records.
Defendant: Paul Varoff, age 64
School: Oak Ridge High School, El Dorado Union High School District, El Dorado Hills, California
Position: According to multiple news reports, Varoff was a band teacher at Oak Ridge High School for more than 30 years. According to CBS Sacramento, the San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento confirmed that Varoff also worked for them as a band and choir teacher from 1985 to 1995.
Charges: According to the criminal complaint filed by the El Dorado County DA's Office (DA No. 0273449), Varoff faces 10 felony counts: five counts of oral copulation of a person under 18 (Penal Code § 287(b)(1)) and five counts of sexual penetration of a person under 18 (Penal Code § 289(h)).
Alleged Timeframe: According to the criminal complaint, the alleged offenses took place between January and August 2023.
Alleged Locations: According to the criminal complaint, the alleged offenses occurred at multiple locations, including the defendant's residence in Sacramento County, the victim's home in El Dorado County, and — notably — in the defendant's office at the school.
Aggravating Factors: According to the criminal complaint, the DA's Office has alleged the following circumstances in aggravation: (1) the victim was particularly vulnerable; (2) the manner in which the crimes were carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism; and (3) the defendant took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offenses.
Post-Retirement Access: According to a statement from the El Dorado Union High School District reported by ABC10, Varoff was retired at the time of the allegations but had periodically worked with the district in a “limited support role.”
Bail: According to the Sheriff's Office and news reports, Varoff is being held without bail.
Plea: According to the Mountain Democrat, Varoff pleaded not guilty.
Additional Victims: According to the Sheriff's Office, the investigation remains active and they believe there may be additional victims.
Court Docket Information
The following information is from El Dorado County Superior Court public records, Case No. 26CR0109, People v. Varoff, Paul.
Case Number: 26CR0109
DA Case Number: 0273449
Sheriff Report Number: EDSO 25-08856
Charge Document: Criminal Complaint
Next Hearing: According to court records, a pre-preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 3, 2026 at 8:30 AM in Department 1.
Preliminary Examination: According to court records, a preliminary examination is scheduled for April 20, 2026 at 1:30 PM in Department 1 (estimated 45 minutes).
What Has Been Reported
On January 26, 2026, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office arrested Paul Varoff, a 64-year-old former band teacher at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills. According to the Sheriff's Office, Varoff faces 10 felony charges — five counts of oral copulation of a person under 18 and five counts of sexual penetration of a person under 18. He was booked into the El Dorado County Jail and is being held without bail.
The scope of the criminal complaint tells a disturbing story. According to the complaint filed by the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, the 10 felony counts stem from at least seven separate alleged incidents occurring between January and August 2023 at three different locations: Varoff's home in Sacramento County, the victim's home in El Dorado County, and — according to the complaint — in Varoff's office at the school itself. The complaint identifies the victim only as “J. Doe,” a person under the age of 18.
According to FOX40, Varoff appeared in El Dorado County Superior Court on January 28, 2026, in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit. He did not enter a plea at that appearance. According to the Mountain Democrat, Varoff subsequently pleaded not guilty. El Dorado County Superior Court records show the case is active, with a pre-preliminary hearing scheduled for April 3, 2026 and a preliminary examination set for April 20, 2026.
According to CBS Sacramento, the San Juan Unified School District confirmed that Varoff also worked for them as a band and choir teacher from 1985 to 1995 — a decade before his tenure at Oak Ridge. Multiple news outlets reported that Varoff taught at Oak Ridge for more than 30 years.
Three Decades of Access
What sets this case apart is not just the severity of the charges, but the extraordinary length of time Paul Varoff reportedly had access to students. According to news reports citing the Sheriff's Office, Varoff taught at Oak Ridge High School for over 30 years. And according to CBS Sacramento, he spent an additional decade at San Juan Unified before that. That represents more than 40 years as a music educator with regular, close contact with minors.
Even after retiring at the end of the 2022–23 school year, Varoff's access to students apparently did not end. According to a statement from the El Dorado Union High School District reported by ABC10, Varoff “has since periodically worked with the district in a limited support role.” The district also stated that “it is not known at this time whether the allegations involve a student from our district.”
The criminal complaint adds another layer: the DA's Office has alleged aggravating circumstances, including that the victim was “particularly vulnerable,” that the crimes were committed with “planning, sophistication, or professionalism,” and that Varoff “took advantage of a position of trust or confidence.” According to the complaint, one of the alleged offenses took place inside Varoff's office at the school — a location where a teacher would be expected to be supervised, or at a minimum, where a student should have been safe.
How the Law Protects Victims in This Case
California Code of Civil Procedure §§ 340.1 & 340.11
According to the criminal complaint, the alleged abuse occurred between January and August 2023. Because those dates fall before January 1, 2024, civil claims in this case are governed by CCP § 340.11 rather than the newer unlimited statute of limitations. Even so, the law provides substantial time for victims to come forward:
Time to file: Under CCP § 340.11, a civil lawsuit may be brought at any time before the victim's 40th birthday, or within five years of the victim recognizing that psychological harm in adulthood resulted from the abuse — whichever period runs longer. That applies to claims against both the accused and the school district. CCP § 340.11(a)(1)
No government claim filing required: Under normal circumstances, filing a lawsuit against a public school district requires first submitting an administrative claim within six months. California law carves out an exception for childhood sexual assault. CCP § 340.1(q) eliminates that requirement entirely — underage victims can proceed directly to court against the El Dorado Union High School District without filing any preliminary claim. CCP § 340.1(q)
All 10 counts qualify: The criminal complaint charges Varoff exclusively under Penal Code sections 287(b)(1) and 289(h). Both of those statutes appear in CCP § 340.1(c)'s definition of “childhood sexual assault,” confirming that every count in this case triggers the full range of civil protections available under California law.
Two districts, two sets of records: Because the El Dorado Union High School District and the San Juan Unified School District are both public entities, both are subject to the California Public Records Act (Government Code §§ 7920.000 et seq.). A civil attorney can use PRA requests — before any lawsuit is filed — to obtain records from both districts, including Varoff's complete employment and personnel files, any internal complaints or disciplinary actions over his 40-plus year career, background check and credentialing documentation, the terms of his post-retirement “limited support role,” the district's liability insurance policies and coverage limits, and any policies governing supervision of retired employees brought back in support roles. Insurance policy records are particularly significant: they reveal the available coverage, identify the carriers, and expose whether the district required adequate protections — or failed to. These records are not available from private schools.
The facts of this case present civil liability questions that go well beyond Varoff's individual conduct. According to the criminal complaint, one of the alleged offenses occurred inside his office at the school. According to the district's own statement, he continued working with students in a “limited support role” after retirement. And according to CBS Sacramento, he spent a full decade at San Juan Unified before arriving at Oak Ridge. A civil investigation into this case would need to reach across both districts and span decades of employment records to determine what each institution knew, what safeguards were or were not in place, and whether the conditions that allowed this to happen could have been prevented.
Contact Law Enforcement
According to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, the investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone who may have information or who believes they may be an additional victim is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office.
Sources
El Dorado County DA — Criminal Complaint, People v. Varoff (DA No. 0273449) CBS Sacramento — “Retired El Dorado County band teacher accused of child sexual abuse” (January 29, 2026) ABC10 — “Former Oak Ridge High band teacher arrested on multiple sex crimes against minors charges” FOX40 — “Former Oak Ridge High School band teacher accused of child sex crimes appears in court” (January 29, 2026) Village Life — “Retired band teacher accused of sex crimes” (January 27, 2026) Mountain Democrat — “Retired Oak Ridge teacher pleads not guilty to sex crimes” Folsom Times — “Former El Dorado Hills Band Teacher Faces Multiple Child Sex Abuse Charges” (January 27, 2026) California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.1 — FindLaw California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.11 — JustiaWere You a Student of Paul Varoff?
If you were a student at Oak Ridge High School or in the San Juan Unified School District during Paul Varoff's tenure, and you experienced inappropriate conduct, Attorney Michael Rehm can help you understand your legal rights. The Sheriff's Office is actively seeking additional victims. Everything you share with our office is confidential.
(800) 978-0754