BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — A Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) employee accused of sex crimes involving an underage student pleaded not guilty in court on Friday to charges that include child molestation and possession of child sexual abuse material.
The case began after a report of inappropriate behavior at Chipman Junior High School.
The defendant, Escudero-Mendoza, is hearing impaired and was assisted in court by an ASL interpreter. During the hearing, the judge asked the interpreter whether Escudero-Mendoza would be able to communicate with cuffs on. While the interpreter was answering, Escudero-Mendoza slipped out of the handcuffs.
Escudero-Mendonza worked as a teacher’s aide at Chipman Junior High and as a Foothill High School track and field assistant coach before his arrest.
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The Bakersfield Police Department said on April 29, 2026, officers arrested Escudero-Mendoza, an employee of the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, on multiple charges, including child molestation and possession of child pornography.
Police said a day prior, on April 28, officers were called to Chipman Junior High after the school received a report of inappropriate behavior by a man, a teacher’s aide who worked on campus.
Chipman Junior High School KBAK/KBFX
Prosecutors deemed him a flight risk and asked for no bail. The judge instead set bail at $110,000.
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Escudero-Mendoza is scheduled to return to court on May 11.