Napa High School math teacher Jorge Francisco Covarrubias will have to answer to 16 counts of sexual abuse against a former student.

On Friday, Covarrubias, 31, appeared before retired Superior Court Judge Philip Champlin for his preliminary hearing.

He is charged with sexual assault, including eight counts of sodomy, against a then 15-year-old boy who was living with him. If found guilty of all charges, Covarrubias faces a maximum of 13 years in state prison.

Prosecutors say the assaults took place between November 2003 and August 2004. During this time, the boy was a student at Napa High School, but not student in Covarrubias' math class.

Covarrubias and the victim met at Napa High School.

Twenty-three people showed up in court on Friday to show their support for the defendant.

Napa Police Det. Judy Bond told the court she interviewed the victim on three separate occasions last month.

She testified that during the interviews the boy was embarrassed, teary and upset about what had happened.

Bond testified the boy and his father were having a troubled relationship. The father went to the school and talked to Covarrubias about his son. Covarrubias visited the victim and his father at their home. Covarrubias offered to let the victim live at his residence to "straighten him out," Bond said. "The father agreed."

The victim became uncomfortable when Covarrubias began hugging him and kissing him on the cheek, Bond testified. "He said the feelings escalated a couple of months after he moved in with the defendant."

Bond said the victim told her the first time Covarrubias sexually assaulted him was when he spent the night in the defendant's bedroom.

The victim said Covarrubias "asked him if he had ever had sex with another man. The victim said no. He said the defendant convinced him to have sex with him," Bond testified. "He said it made him feel sick inside and out."

Bond also testified the victim said he and the defendant had sex in the boy's bedroom, the living room at Covarrubias' parents home and other places in Napa County.

The boy told investigators that Covarrubias gave him alcohol and gifts, Bond said. "He told the victim he loved him and would like them to be together when they were older."

Last month, police arranged a pretext call between the victim and Covarrubias. The boy told Covarrubias someone was asking him if had ever been molested, and he didn't know what to say.

"The defendant said, 'You know what to say. Don't say anything,'" Bond testified. When the victim asked Covarrubias if he could be in trouble, Covarrubias answered, "Yes, big trouble. I could lose my job and maybe go to jail.'"

Bond also interviewed Covarrubias, who denied sexually abusing the boy.

"He wanted to give the boy an opportunity for an education and a home. He wanted to be more of a friend than a father to the victim," Bond testified.

Bond said Covarrubias began to have feelings for the victim he had never had before. "He said his feelings started getting weird, and he didn't want to go down that path."

Bond's testified that there was confusion about the dates of the alleged sexual assaults.

During cross examination, defense attorney Jeff Hammond questioned the vagueness about the dates.

"If there is confusion there, could there be confusion in other parts of your report?" Hammond asked Bond.

Hammond argued because of the confusion of the dates of the alleged assaults and the defendant's age had never been established, his client should not be held accountable for the charges.

Paul Gero, deputy district attorney, said, "Sexual assault victims do the best they can to recall the details. And this is not something that should be argued at a preliminary hearing. That is something that should be done at the trial."

"Confusions about details are not uncommon in multiple offenses against juveniles," Judge Champlin said.

Covarrubias has been a teacher at Napa High School for four years. He is currently on unpaid administrative leave. He is out of custody after posting $500,000 bail.

He is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 28.