Elementary school worker caught in back seat of car with 16-year-old student, CA cops say
An elementary school worker was arrested on sexual assault charges after California police say he was found in the back seat of a car with a 16-year-old student.
Santa Ana police got a call about possible sexual activity happening inside a car at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, the department said in a news release shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
When officers arrived, they found a man, later identified as 32-year-old Mariano Hernandez, inside the car with a female, later identified as a 16-year-old high school student, in the back seat, police said.
The pair told police that Hernandez, who works as a behavior interventionist at Benson Elementary, met the girl at Foothill High School and that they had been “in a dating relationship for a few weeks,” officers said.
McClatchy News reached out to Tustin Unified School District for comment on Feb. 5 but did not immediately receive a response.
Hernandez was booked into jail on multiple sexual assault charges, police said.
McClatchy News reached out to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and is awaiting a response on formal charges.
Detectives believe Hernandez may have additional victims and asked anyone with information to contact Detective M. Tapia at 714-245-8379 or mtapia@santa-ana.org.
Santa Ana is about a 30-mile drive southeast from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Elementary school worker caught in back seat of car with 16-year-old student, CA cops say."
