PALO ALTO (KRON) — Police arrested an after-school music teacher earlier this month in Palo Alto for allegedly committing sex crimes against a 15-year-old student, according to authorities.

At about 1:30 p.m. on July 13, detectives received information from another law enforcement agency that a Palo Alto music teacher had been sexually abusing a juvenile student.

An investigation revealed that the suspect, identified as 35-year-old John Patrick Root, of San Francisco, was employed as a part-time music teacher at the School of Rock, located at 2645 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto.

Detectives also learned that the 15-year-old victim had been his student over the past several months.

Police said that Root and the victim had allegedly met at other locations in Palo Alto on several occasions.

On Wednesday, July 19, an arrest warrant was issued, charging Root with multiple felony sex crimes.

Detectives located Root in San Francisco on July 20 and with the help of the San Francisco Police Department, he was arrested without incident.

Root was taken to the Santa Clara County Main Jail, where he was booked on four felony counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor.

Detectives are unaware of any additional victims at this time but are working with the school to investigate the possibility.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.

Here is a statement from the School of Rock:

“On July 13, 2017, School of Rock was informed by the Palo Alto Police Department that one of our former teachers was being investigated.  Our highest priority is the safety of our students and we immediately engaged in working with the Police Department to assist in their investigation. Our employee safety procedures require all staff and faculty to complete background checks and complete a code of conduct. In this particular case, we completed a background check and the former teacher executed a Code of Conduct.

As soon as we learned of the investigation, we terminated his employment. Additionally, we informed our parent community so that they were immediately aware of his termination and the investigation.

On July 25, 2017, we learned that this teacher has been arrested and charged with felony sex crimes.

We have been cooperating, and will continue to cooperate, with the Palo Alto Police Department throughout this investigation.

As this is an active Police investigation, this is all the information we are able to provide at this time.”

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