A California school teacher who was fired three years ago for having “inappropriate” conversations with a 16-year-old student was arrested after he was caught inside the girl’s dormitory.
Patrick John Mester, 65, was previously arrested in March 2021 by Modesto police on suspicion of molesting or sexually abusing a child under 18 years of age. The Modesto Bee reported at the time.
At the time he was suspected of having “inappropriate communication” with the student and was quickly dismissed from James C. Enoch High School.
But the former band teacher was released on $5,000 bail, only to be caught seven months later inside the same student’s room by the girl’s mother, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office. he told the Los Angeles Times.
The incident prompted a second investigation, and Mester was arrested again Wednesday and charged with two counts of lewd acts with a minor and two counts of attempting to meet a minor for lewd purposes.
Patrick John Mester, 65, was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of lewd acts with a minor and two counts of attempting to meet a minor for lewd purposes.
Former James C. Enoch High School band teacher was previously arrested in March 2021 by Modesto police on suspicion of molesting or sexually abusing a child under the age of 18.
Authorities explained to the Puerta de San Francisco that the charges came after “several interviews” with the girl.
“Serious cases like this have to be carefully developed over time,” he said.
Mester had worked in the Modesto City School District since 2003 and worked at two different high schools as a music teacher until accepting a full-time position at Enochs High in 2007.
At the time of his original arrest, school district officials said they “took immediate steps to ensure he had no contact with students, and also revoked his right to visit our facilities.”
“This directive will remain in effect as the criminal matter progresses,” the school district said, according to the Bee.
They noted that he had also completed all pre-employment requirements, including fingerprinting and background checks, and had even received training on child abuse and harassment reporting while he was a teacher.
Mester (left) had worked in the Modesto City School District since 2003 and worked at two different high schools as a music teacher until accepting a full-time position at Enoch High in 2007.
But the school has been criticized in the past for other cases of inappropriate behavior between teachers and minors.
In 2012, former teacher James Hooker, 41, was arrested after a former student at another school claimed he had sexual relations with her 14 years earlier, when she was just 17. according to NBC News.
Hooker had just moved in with another 18-year-old former student, Jamie Powers, at the time of his arrest.
Last year, Bryan Rogers, a social studies teacher at the school since 2012, was also accused of molesting or sexually abusing a minor, although it is unclear whether the boy was a student.
Mester is now being held at the Modesto Detention Center on $650,000 bail.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.