Altadena, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – A veteran high school teacher is in jail after he asked three students for a ride, holding a knife and ordering them to drive him to a Jack in the Box.

John Edward Maust, 34, a teacher at Arroyo Pacific Academy in Arcadia for the past 10 years, was standing on a sidewalk in Altadena on Saturday night when three 17-year-old boys from the academy drove by and stopped to say hello, Los Angeles County deputies said.

Maust appeared to be intoxicated as he walked toward them, the students told investigators. Maust asked for a ride, and the boys agreed.

Something Maust said in the car caused the driver to pull over and the students to jump out, but the teacher ordered them back, pulled a knife and told them to take him to the restaurant, deputies said. One of the boys was able to call 911 as they drove. 

In a signed statement provided to the police, Maust admitted to everything the students accused him of – except for one thing. He said he never asked to be taken to Jack in the Box. “I don’t even like their burgers and fries,” he said. “I asked to be taken to In-N-Out Burgers. When it comes to burgers, I have class,” he added.