Schoolteacher in Stanislaus County is booked in jail on child pornography charge
A schoolteacher in Newman was arrested Wednesday and booked in jail on charges of possessing sexually explicit images of children.
Austin Mendonca, 28, was taken into custody after Newman police served a search warrant at a residence in the 1300 block of Stephens Avenue, according to a Newman police Facebook post. Mendonca is a teacher at Yolo Middle School.
Police said they immediately notified the Newman Crows Landing Unified School District about the arrest. Mendonca was in jail Thursday morning with bail set at $25,000.
The Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District placed Mendonca on administrative leave Wednesday, Superintendent Shawn Posey said.
Posey said police notified the district about the investigation at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and the teacher was immediately placed on leave.
“They gave us a little bit of time before they served the warrant, to be prepared for it,” Posey said. “We appreciate the Newman police and their efforts to keep our children safe.”
The superintendent said a notification about the arrest was sent to parents Wednesday evening. The district’s notice said a Yolo Middle School teacher was arrested for alleged “Internet crimes against a minor” and the school district is working with Newman police.
“We are unaware of any information indicating that the crime was committed against any student of the district,” the notification to parents said.
Mendonca was in his second year teaching full time at Yolo Middle School in Newman. Posey said he was a substitute teacher before that.
Newman police said the investigation is ongoing. No additional information was released. Police noted that all persons arrested are considered innocent until proven guilty in court.
Anyone with information regarding the investigation may contact Sgt. Jose Gomez, at jgomez@cityofnewman.com.
This story was originally published October 6, 2022 at 12:33 PM.
