BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A 26-year-old employee with the Kern Superintendent of Schools was arrested and booked on child molestation and child porn charges on Wednesday, according to the Bakersfield Police Department.
Police say an investigation into Adolfo Escudero-Mendoza, an employee with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, was started when officers were called to Chipman Junior High on Tuesday for inappropriate behavior by a teaher's aid who worked on campus.
Chipman's Principal Tomas Prieto sent out a letter to parents on Wednesday that reads:
"Dear Chipman Families,
We are writing to inform you about a deeply troubling situation involving a Kern County Superintendent of Schools(KCSOS) employee who was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection to alleged inappropriate communication with a student at Chipman Junior High. KCSOS operates its Deaf and Hard of Hearing program at Chipman in partnership with the Bakersfield City School District.
As soon as administration became aware of the reported conduct, the employee was immediately escorted off campus, and law enforcement was contacted. The individual will not return to campus.
This alleged behavior is extremely concerning and does not reflect the values, standards, or expectations of BCSD or KCSOS. As always, the safety and well-being of students remain one of our highest priorities.
Based on the information available to us at this time, we believe this to be an isolated incident and do not have reason to believe that other Chipman students were exposed to this situation. Even so, we encourage families to use this opportunity to speak with their children about safe and appropriate use of cell phones, social media, and to tell a trusted adult if anything makes them uncomfortable.
Because this is now an active law enforcement matter, we are limited in what we can share. If you have any information that may assist, please contact Detective Gharib at 661-326-3964.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support as we work to protect our students and school community. "
It was later learned that Escuder-Mendoza is also employed by the Kern High School District as a paid assistant coach for Foothill High School's track and field program, according to the BPD.
Police believe there may be additional victims.
Escudero-Mendoza was booked on charges of child molestation, possession of child porn, lewd or lascivious acts with child under 14 and other related charges, according to inmate records.
He is scheduled to be in court on Friday afternoon.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes avaialable.
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