The Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a warrant Feb. 9 for a former teacher at the UCLA Krieger Early Care and Education Center after he failed to appear in court while attempting to appeal a child sexual abuse conviction.

Christopher Rodriguez, who was convicted on charges including willful cruelty to a child and sexual battery following a jury trial last April, was sentenced to seven years in county jail in June. He then filed to appeal his conviction and was released on bond, with one of the conditions being that he continue to provide updates and appear in court.

Records show that the court issued a bench warrant – which allows law enforcement to take someone into custody for violating court rules – for Rodriguez.

Although Rodriguez worked at UCLA Early Care and Education centers for nearly 25 years, he was specifically charged for abuse against children under his supervision that took place in 2023.

[Related: Law firm files suit against UC alleging negligence in Christopher Rodriguez case]

A lawyer representing Rodriguez did not respond in time to multiple requests for comment.

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, which represents the plaintiff in Rodriguez’s criminal case, did not respond in time to a request for comment.

Danielle De Smeth, an attorney whose firm represents 15 families involved in the case in a civil suit against the UC Board of Regents, said that the news was disturbing and concerning to the people she represents.

Rodriguez had to register as a sex offender as part of his sentence. He also must legally obey protective orders, both for UCLA’s campus and the victims, until June 2029.

De Smeth added that she hopes the court will dismiss Rodriguez’s appeal as a result of his failure to appear.

“It would benefit the families if his appeal was dismissed sooner, because they’ll have some finality to his convictions,” she said. “While the appeal is pending, these convictions are not yet final, so there’s some solace in that finality.”