Former Toppenish High School teacher Bertha Adriana Cerna has been released from a California jail as she awaits extradition to Yakima County on a sex charge.
Bertha Cerna, 40, was released Sunday evening from the Orange County Jail after posting a $50,000 bond. She was arrested Aug. 14 on a Yakima County Superior Court warrant charging her with a count of first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and two counts of furnishing liquor to minors.
She has refused to waive extradition from California and is scheduled for a Thursday hearing to confirm her identity and the charges filed against her.
Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brian Aaron said Bertha Cerna's posting bail should not interfere with efforts to bring her back to Yakima County to face trial.
Yakima County prosecutors recommended bail due to possible flight risks, Aaron said.
Prosecuting Attorney Joe Brusic said in an interview last week that his office was seeking a governor's warrant to bring her back.
Bertha Cerna, who was also the wrestling team cheer coach, is the wife of John L. "Johnny" Cerna, a former assistant principal and a wrestling coach at the school, and the daughter-in-law of Toppenish Superintendent John Cerna.
Bertha and Johnny Cerna were fired following an investigation by the school district into a student's allegations that the pair had plied her with alcohol and tried to get her into a sexual relationship with Johnny Cerna.
The district's investigation found it was "more probable than not" that Johnny Cerna engaged in inappropriate online conversations with a student, and that Bertha Cerna encouraged that relationship. It also found it was "more probable than not" that the Cernas gave the student alcohol.
During the investigation, Johnny Cerna denied knowing the teenager well and had no memory of exchanging messages with her. Bertha Cerna denied giving the student alcohol, according to the reports.
Further investigation led Yakima County sheriff's detectives to a former Toppenish High School student who described two sexual encounters he had with Bertha Cerna while he was 17, according to court documents. That student also told investigators that Bertha Cerna offered him alcohol and what appeared to be cocaine, court documents said.
No criminal charges have been filed against Johnny Cerna.
