Employee of Modesto center for autistic kids is charged with lewd act on child
A former employee of a Modesto program for children with autism has been charged with committing a lewd act upon a child.
Sean Dalton Marquez, 35, was arraigned Nov. 14 in Stanislaus Superior Court. Marquez worked at the Kendall Center in Modesto, which provides behavioral therapy for children with autism. According to the criminal complaint, the alleged victim in the case was younger than 14.
Marquez has pleaded not guilty. He had a case management hearing this month and the matter was continued to Jan. 8.
The criminal case has sparked an uproar among parents who have children in the Kendall program.
Robert Vera of Modesto, whose son has received therapy at the Kendall center, said Wednesday he’s concerned other children possibly were victimized. “There is probably more,” Vera said. “These are children who can’t defend themselves. They are children who can’t speak.”
The Kendall centers in Modesto, the Bay Area and Sacramento are operated by Therapeutic Pathways and provide language and behavior therapy for children up to 18 years old. Many parents of nonverbal children with autism place them in the Kendall program before they are 5 years old so they acquire language abilities before they start school.
Sydney Neuhaus, a company representative, released a statement Wednesday on behalf of Therapeutic Pathways saying, “Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and well-being of the individuals in our care.”
The statement said: “As soon as we were made aware of the incident, Therapeutic Pathways took immediate action to ensure everyone’s safety, including contacting local law enforcement and terminating the employee. We have extensive safety and conduct protocols that we strictly enforce and that each of our employees are trained on and expected to uphold.”
The statement added that Kendall Center staff followed protocols and quickly intervened. “Due to the active investigation, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”
Neuhaus confirmed that Marquez is the employee who was terminated.
A criminal complaint said the incident occurred on or about Nov. 3. Marquez is charged with committing a lewd act on a child younger than 14 with the intent of arousing and gratifying the sexual desires of the defendant and the child.
As of Friday, Marquez remained in Stanislaus County jail, with bail set at $150,000. A public defender is representing the defendant.
Vera said he wants to see better management and security cameras before his 5-year-old son returns to the Kendall program. He said he has learned Marquez worked with his son in June or July.
“There has to be some changes there,” Vera said. “They should have policies in place so this does not happen. They are dealing with autistic kids.”
Another parent posted on social media a Therapeutic Pathways letter that informed parents about the incident. The letter said that the families of children who worked with the employee were contacted and that there was no reason to believe “this happened before and anyone else was at risk.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2023 at 3:08 PM.
