A 29-year-old man who was a tutor at Palmer Lasko Elementary School in Los Fresnos back in 2010 and 2011 has been arrested on two counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Jose Mendez was arrested Tuesday by the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department after the two victims made an outcry that Mendez had sexually abused them, the sheriff’s department said in a press release.
Mendez tutored in the Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District’s School program “Ready, Set, Teach.”
The victims, both under the age of 17, told authorities that it was in this program that Mendez engaged in sexual contact with them, the press release read.
Authorities began investigating the case in August 2022 after investigators received a report in reference to an indecency with a child case. The offense occurred at the elementary school in 2010 and 2011, and the sheriff’s department began investigating the incident.
According to the release, sheriff’s investigators interviewed Mendez, and “he confessed to the crimes.”
Warrants for his arrest were issued, and he was taken into custody at Stinger Certified Asset Recovery without incident.
The LFCISD said in statement, “This morning, Los Fresnos CISD learned of the arrest of a former student, Jose Mendez, who is now charged with Indecency With a Child. According to authorities, the incident occurred between 2010 and 2011 at Palmer-Laakso Elementary, during which time Mendez was a Los Fresnos High School student. At the time of the incident, Mendez was a high school student, participating in an educator preparation program called ‘Ready, Set, Teach’. Mendez was not employed by the district. The district is saddened to learn of these incidents and is fully cooperating with law enforcement agencies at this time.
The district remains committed to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for all students.
At this time, the case remains pending and as such, no further details are available.”
