A California school teacher who was fired three years ago for having ‘inappropriate’ conversations with a 16-year-old student has been arrested after he was caught inside the girl’s bedroom.
Patrick John Mester, 65, was previously arrested in March 2021 by Modesto police over suspicion of annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18, The Modesto Bee reported at the time.
He was suspected at the time of having ‘inappropriate communication’ with the student, and was promptly fired from James C. Enoch High School.
But the former band teacher was released on a $5,000 bail – just to be caught seven months later inside the same student’s bedroom by the girl’s mother, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office told the Los Angeles Times.
The incident spurred a second investigation, and Mester was arrested again on Wednesday and was charged with two counts of lewd acts with a minor and two counts of attempting to meet with a minor for lewd purposes.
Patrick John Mester, 65, was arrested on Wednesday and was charged with two counts of lewd acts with a minor and two counts of attempting to meet with a minor for lewd purposes
The former band teacher at James C. Enoch High School was previously arrested in March 2021 by Modesto police over suspicion of annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18
Authorities explained to the San Francisco Gate that the charges came after ‘several interviews’ with the girl.
‘Serious cases like this need to be carefully built over time,’ it said.
Mester had been employed by the Modesto City School District since 2003 and worked at two different high schools as a music teacher until he took a full-time position at Enochs High in 2007.
At the time of his original arrest, school district officials said they ‘took immediate action to ensure he has zero contact with students, as well as revoked his right to visit our facilities.
‘This directive will continue to be in place as the criminal matter proceeds,’ the school district said, according to the Bee.
They noted that he had also completed all pre-employment requirements, including fingerprint clearance and background checks, and had even received training on harassment and child abuse reporting while he was a teacher.
Mester (left) had been employed by the Modesto City School District since 2003 and worked at two different high schools as a music teacher until he took a full-time position at Enoch High in 2007
But the school has come under fire in the past for other instances of inappropriate conduct between teachers and minors.
In 2012, former teacher James Hooker, 41, was arrested after a former student at a different school claimed he had sexual relations with her 14 years prior – when she was just 17, according to NBC News.
Hooker had just moved in with another former 18-year-old 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 annoying or molesting a minor – though it is unclear whether the child was a student.
Mester is now being held at the Modesto detention center on a $650,000 bail.
He is set to appear in court on Wednesday.
