A former teacher from California is currently in custody after being discovered in a teenage girl’s bedroom, as reported by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office. Patrick John Mester, 65, is facing two charges each of planning to meet a minor for indecent purposes and engaging in inappropriate acts with a minor aged 14 or 15.
Mester was initially arrested in 2021, which led to his immediate dismissal from his teaching position at James C. Enochs High School in Modesto, a city approximately 80 miles west of Oakland. The criminal investigation, however, took a significant amount of time.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Special Victim’s Unit apprehended the former band teacher once again on Wednesday for “indecent and obscene acts against a minor,” according to an official press release. In March 2021, Mester was briefly detained by the Modesto Police Department under suspicion of harassing or molesting a child under 18. He was later released after posting a $5,000 bail.
At that time, Mester was suspected of having an inappropriate relationship or communication with a student, identified as a 16-year-old girl by The Modesto Bee. The details surrounding this incident were limited, but the allegations alone resulted in his termination.
Modesto City Schools, in a statement, said they took immediate action to prevent Mester from having any contact with students and barred him from visiting their facilities. This directive will remain in effect as the criminal case progresses. Mester had been employed by the school district since 2003, initially as a music teacher at a different high school. He later divided his time between two schools before moving to Enochs in 2008. He had passed all necessary background checks and regularly received training on child abuse and harassment.
However, after his release on the initial charge, Mester allegedly sought out the same 16-year-old girl. In October 2021, a second investigation was launched by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office after Mester was found in the girl’s bedroom by her mother. The Sheriff’s Office has been working with the District Attorney’s Office since then, conducting several interviews with the victim.
Since Mester’s second arrest, the girl has been assisting authorities with their ongoing investigations. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office stated that serious cases like this require careful and time-consuming investigation. Mester is currently being held on a $650,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 30.