Ex-band teacher ‘caught in teen’s room’

A former teacher in California has reportedly been arrested after being found in a teenage girl’s bedroom after being fired from his job for communicating with her.

After a three-year investigation, 65-year-old Patrick John Mester has been charged with two counts of arranging to meet a minor for lewd purposes and lewd acts with a minor, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office records show.

In a news release, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said Mester was detained on Oct. 23 and that the investigation into the case “has been behind schedule since 2021.”

Mester was arrested in March of that year and lost his job as a band teacher at James C Enochs High School in Modesto after city police arrested him for inappropriate communication with a student, a 16-year-old girl.

A second investigation was launched in October 2021 by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office after Mester was found in the girl’s bedroom by her mother.

Following the arrest in March 2021, bail was set at $5,000 and Mester was released.

Modesto City Schools said at the time that they “took immediate action to ensure he has no contact with students and have revoked his right to visit our facilities. This directive will remain in effect as the criminal case progresses.”

Mester had worked for the school district for more than 20 years since 2003. He was previously a music teacher at another high school before working at both schools. In 2008 he started working full-time at Enochs.

Officials told The Modesto Bee that Mester has passed background checks and completed regular training on harassment and child abuse.

But Mester allegedly tried to contact the 16-year-old again after his initial release.

The three-year investigation, which included several interviews with the victim, led to Mester’s indictment and arrest Wednesday.

That’s what the sheriff’s office said SFGoes that the three years between the initial arrest and the filing of charges were the result of “active and ongoing investigations involving our victim.”

“Serious cases like these must be carefully built up over time,” the office told the outlet.

Mester, who according to arrest records was born in Michigan, is currently being held at the Modesto Detention Center and is scheduled to appear in court on October 30. Bail is set at $650,000.