Los Banos teacher and girlfriend scheduled to appear in court

Gary Bettencourt and Devyn Egan, both charged with having illegal sex with Los Banos high school students, are scheduled to appear in court today for a preliminary hearing.

The pre-trial hearings for the Los Banos teacher and his substitute teacher girlfriend charged with having sex with minors were delayed last month.

Bettencourt, 41, and 22-year-old Egan pleaded not guilty to having sex with teenage students.

Judge Mark Bacciarini, who took over proceedings, granted the extension in May at the request of the lawyers working the case, who said they need additional time to collect evidence.

Bettencourt, an English teacher at Pacheco High School, has been on administrative leave since September when the allegations first came to light. He is charged with 13 felonies, including unlawful sexual intercourse, oral copulation with a minor and lewd acts upon a child.

Egan is a former substitute teacher in Stanislaus County. She is charged with six similar felonies. District officials have said Egan won’t be used as a substitute teacher pending the outcome of the criminal case.

The investigation into Bettencourt uncovered sex allegations against another former teacher-turned-police officer Dusty Norris, who was arrested May 18.

A report prepared by Merced County District Attorney’s Office investigators describes “a couple of strange coincidence” (sic) regarding the Norris and Bettencourt investigations. Norris was the first police officer to receive information regarding the allegations against Bettencourt in September 2015 and Norris took the initial report during the investigation.

Prosecutors have said the Norris and Bettencourt cases “are not related.” However, at least one girl is believed to have been victimized by both Norris and Bettencourt, authorities have said.

Stay with the Sun-Star for updates on Bettencourt and Egan’s hearing today.

This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 8:40 AM with the headline "Los Banos teacher and girlfriend scheduled to appear in court."