School employee arrested, accused of child sex crimes on campus, Sanger Unified says
A Sanger Unified School District employee was arrested on suspicion of sex crimes against an elementary school student, officials said Thursday.
A student reported to their parents “inappropriate behavior” by an employee at Del Rey Elementary School during an after-school program, according to a letter sent home to parents written by Dennis Weichmann, an assistant superintendent with the district.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the arrest, saying the alleged crimes involved janitor Alejandro “Alex” Garcia, 55, of Selma, according to a news release.
The victim was a girl younger than 14, according to the news release.
The district letter said the arrest was on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child. The employee was placed on unpaid leave, according to the letter.
“At this time the sheriff detectives believe this was an isolated incident,” the letter says.
Counseling was made available to all children as was information for parents on how to speak to their children about their concerns, the letter says.
“Sanger Unified will be working very closely with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office to ensure a complete and thorough investigation,” the letter says.
Garcia is held on $120,000 bail, according to jail records. He was still in custody Thursday morning.
Detectives ask anyone with information related to the investigation to call Detective Andrew Bright at 559-600-8218, or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org.
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 10:37 AM.
