Former Fresno teacher's assistant pleads to lewd act for kissing elementary student
.jpeg "Former Fresno teacher's assistant Andres Perez-Esteban pleaded no contest Friday, May 25, 2018, in Fresno Superior Court to a felony charge of a lewd act with a minor for kissing a female student at Mario G. Olmos Elementary School.")
A former Fresno teacher's assistant on Friday pleaded no contest in Fresno Superior Court to committing a felony lewd act on a child for kissing a female student on the cheek at Mario G. Olmos Elementary School.
Andres Perez-Esteban, 22, faces three years in prison when he is sentenced on July 20, said Assistant District Attorney Steve Wright.
Perez-Esteban remains free on $120,000 bail until his sentencing.
A criminal complaint accuses Perez-Esteban of kissing the girl at least three times between August 2015 and March 2017, when he was arrested. The girl is now around 11 years old.
The criminal case also resulted in a lawsuit that accuses Perez-Esteban of sexual battery and sexual conduct and harassment of the girl. The other defendants include Fresno Unified, which is accused of negligence and negligent training and supervision of Perez-Esteban.
The lawsuit, which gives only the girl's account, says Olmos Elementary School employees knew or should have suspected Perez-Esteban's involvement with the girl because he spent a lot of time alone with her on the school campus. In addition, a school administrator asked Perez-Esteban about his relationship with the girl and "counseled him about maintaining appropriate space away from her," the lawsuit says.
This story was originally published May 25, 2018 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Former Fresno teacher's assistant pleads to lewd act for kissing elementary student."