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By Jorge Casuso

May 8 -- An eighth-grade student felt “uncomfortable” being in teacher Thomas Arthur Beltran’s class “because of the way he touched her,” according to a complaint filed by the child’s parent more than two years ago.

Police investigated the complaint, but did not take any criminal action against Beltran, 60, who was charged Tuesday with molesting five of his students at Lincoln Middle School, one of them for more than a year.

According to a “request for document” released by School District officials Wednesday, the Santa Monica Police Department “investigated the matter, but ultimately determined that there was insufficient evidence to initiate criminal action.”

The complaint by the parent was filed with the school’s Assistant Principal Francis Costanzo on the morning of March 14, 2006, according to a letter to police from Principal Kathy Scott.

According to the letter, Beltran was “shocked” by the accusation and was upset that his action had been interpreted as inappropriate,” Scott wrote in a letter to Santa Monica Police Detective Lloyd Gladden.

“I instructed Mr. Beltran not to touch any of the female students in his classroom in order to protect himself from any further misinterpretation,” Scott wrote. “Mr. Beltran was in total agreement with my request.”

Scott informed Gladden that the student had been removed from Beltran’s class.

District officials said Wednesday that there were no other complaints filed against Beltran, who has taught English as a second language at the prestigious public middle school for two decades and worked in the district for 30 years.

At his arraignment at the Airport Courthouse Tuesday, Beltran was charged with 14 counts of sexual molestation, including three counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object on a child younger than 14 years old.

The charges also included eight counts of a lewd act on a child and three counts of continuous sexual abuse. His bail was set at $3.3 million.

Beltran was arrested in Culver City Saturday, one day after police interviewed a 12-year-old student who claimed he sexually abused her.

Police concluded other students may have been molested and interviewed all the students at the school who had any connection with Beltran, said Lt. Alex Padilla, the Police Department spokesman.