A person who was discovered lifeless after reportedly leaping from a parking storage at Disneyland on Saturday has been recognized because the principal at a Huntington Seashore elementary faculty.
The person, Christopher Christensen, 51, of Westminster, was the principal at Newland Elementary College and an area musician who carried out throughout Southern California. Christensen was dealing with misdemeanor costs of kid endangerment and battery on the time of his dying, Orange County Superior Courtroom information present.
A person recognized as Chris Christensen of Westminster printed an extended publish on Fb on Saturday night telling readers a few current home dispute and the way a “flawed” authorized system had upended his life. Edmund Velasco, president of the Orange County Musicians Union who knew Christensen by means of Christensen’s father, confirmed in a textual content message to The Occasions that the Fb account belonged to Christensen.
Makes an attempt to succeed in the Christensen household have been unsuccessful.
Christensen was on account of seem in court docket Monday.
Police imagine the dying is a suicide, mentioned Sgt. Shane Carringer of the Anaheim Police Division, including the coroner’s workplace will decide the reason for dying.
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An post-mortem report is predicted this week.
On the night of his dying, Christensen printed a Fb publish at 8:38 p.m. that he mentioned he hoped would offer “some perception and perspective.” Within the publish, he described an “wonderful” marriage to his spouse of 3½ years, whom he recognized as Marlena, that took a flip one current night throughout a “heated argument” at their dwelling wherein “tempers have been flared and robust phrases have been exchanged between us.” The argument occurred in entrance of their daughters, he mentioned.
“Sadly, Marlena’s anger acquired the most effective of her that evening and he or she referred to as the police, which landed me in jail that evening,” Christensen mentioned. “Sure, me! A person who has by no means hit or harmed ANYONE in his life!”
Orange County Superior Courtroom information confirmed Christensen was arrested on Nov. 15 and launched from jail on $10,000 bail two days later. He was charged with little one abuse and endangerment and battery. He pleaded not responsible.
Ruben Frias, recognized in court docket paperwork as Christensen‘s lawyer, declined to remark Monday.
Within the Fb publish, Christensen wrote that “by no means on this trade did I hit, slap, or harm Marlena in any method. Nor did I ever contact the women.”
He wrote that the current November night “utterly unraveled” his and his spouse’s lives. He mentioned he had been positioned on administrative depart and was getting ready to shedding his job at Newland Elementary as his case made its manner by means of the authorized system, which he described as “extraordinarily flawed (particularly in opposition to males/fathers).” He mentioned his spouse had “no intention” of the evening escalating the best way it did, and “regrets making that decision” to the police. She was additionally “making an attempt to clear my title with little success,” Christensen wrote.
“So, right here I’m…writing my last FB publish to all of you,” Christensen wrote. “I would like you all to know {that a} light, sort, loving and sincerely good man has been destroyed by one unlucky evening. It truly is unlucky! That is NOT me! That is NOT one thing that I ever thought would occur to me.”
Christensen wrote about his love of working in schooling and of enjoying music, which he described as a artistic outlet. He mentioned he carried out in his final present Friday evening, and he spent the ultimate day of his life reaching out to family members. “This isn’t an excellent approach to exit, however not less than I get an opportunity to say some last phrases to those that I like and adore,” Christensen wrote.
Christensen ended his publish by asking that everybody deal with each other with “kindness and style.”
“There’s an excessive amount of anger on the planet and folks want to start out treating one another higher,” he wrote. “What I’ve shared with you above is a main instance of how ‘anger’ can actually have long-lasting and very damaging results on an individual’s life.”
Dispatchers acquired a name simply earlier than 9 p.m. Saturday of a person who jumped from Disneyland’s Mickey & Mates parking storage, Carringer mentioned. Anaheim Fireplace and Rescue discovered Christensen lifeless, Carringer mentioned. It was unclear which degree of the storage Christensen jumped from, Carringer mentioned.
At the least three others have taken their lives by leaping from the seven-story construction: a 61-year-old man in 2010, a 23-year-old man in 2012 and a 40-year-old man in 2016.
Christensen had been an administrator with the Fountain Valley College District for greater than 20 years, he mentioned in a letter printed on Newland’s web site earlier than the present faculty 12 months. Christensen beforehand labored as a principal at Courreges Elementary College, Fulton Center College and Moiola Elementary College. He started his profession with the FVSD as an assistant principal at Masuda Center College in 2001. He additionally labored as a center faculty music instructor within the Lengthy Seashore Unified College District.
KABC-TV Channel 7 reported that grief counselors have been accessible in any respect FVSD faculties to assist college students, employees and their households.
“I too am struggling to search out enough phrases to convey the shock and heartbreak we’re all feeling proper now,” FVSD Supt. Katherine Stopp mentioned within the district’s assertion, in keeping with KABC. “I do know that we are going to discover a approach to come collectively as a neighborhood and look after each other. Allow us to all present persistence to one another as we work by means of this time within the subsequent days and weeks.”
Newland Elementary declined to remark Monday. The FVSD didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Occasions employees author Gabriel San Román contributed to this report.
