Matthew Melendez, teacher's assistant at Intensive Day School, Jose Valdez Elementary School, Denver Public Schools, Denver, Colorado, "charged with sexually assaulting a child" 9 News: Elementary school staffer charged with sexual assault on a child (Aug 25 2013) In the letter, DPS said Melendez has been charged with sex assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. According to the letter, the incident is believed to have happened last year. 9NEWS has learned the victim was a boy, and a student at the school. Further details of the case and Melendez's jail photo weren't available Sunday. Tags:
Denver Post: Valdez Elementary staffer charged in Denver with sex assault on a child (Aug 25 2013) Parents at the school on West 29th Avenue in Denver learned of the charge against Matthew Melendez, a paraprofessional at the pre-kindergarten-to-fifth- grade magnet school, in a letter from Valdez principal Jessica Buckley, dated Aug. 23 ... Melendez works in Valdez Intensive Day School, a highly staffed, specially designed program for students with emotional and other disabilities, according to DPS spokeswoman Kristy Armstrong.
Denver Channel: Mom: Valdez Elementary principal made child apologize to teacher's aide who sexually assaulted him -- Child assaulted during recess, affidavit says (Aug 26 2013) The mother of a child who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a teacher's aide [Matthew Melendez] told police the principal made the boy apologize to his alleged attacker. The mother said the boy apologized and then was sexually assaulted again, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by 7NEWS....The principal at the time of the first allegations, who is no longer at Valdez, said he did not make the child apologize. "There was never any time when I or any Valdez staff attempted to compel the student to apologize," Peter Sherman said in a statement sent to 7NEWS. Sherman also said all of the proper reporting procedures were followed when the previous allegations were made in 2012 ... he apparently did not have contact with the suspect until he was moved into Mr. Matt's 5th grade class at the end of the school year in May 2013, the investigating detective wrote.The mother said when she talked to her son about going back to school, her son told her, "Mr. Matt had touched him in a sexual way. Mr Matt 'dangled' [victim's] 'peepee' (penis) by hitting it with his hand to make it moved back and forth. Mr Matt then placed [victim's] 'peepee' (penis) between Mr. Matt's pointer and middle finger and pushed and pulled and pulled [sic] his penis with his fingers." The mother told the detective that this happened at least three times when the victim was in trouble and was not allowed to go to recess with the other children. The boy told a children's advocate that the sexual assault, which lasted about 6 minutes, occurred in the central staircase or back hall.
9 News: Affidavit reveals boy, 9, was sexually assaulted at school (Aug 26 2013) She said her son had told her he had been sexually assaulted by [Matthew] Melendez in 2012 when he was in third grade. She had reported it to the police and the school, but the case was dropped, and her son was forced by the principal of the school to apologize to Melendez for lying ... Melendez and her son did not have any contact while he was in fourth grade until May 2013. She told police her son was moved into Melendez's fifth grade class then, and she was not aware of any issues until she spoke to her son about going back to school. According to the affidavit, the boy said he had been touched in an inappropriate way at least three times. The incidents would allegedly happen when her son was in trouble and was not allowed to go out to recess with the other children.
CBS Local Denver: Teacher’s Aide Accused Of Sex Assault Also A Youth Baseball Coach (Aug 26 2013) A teacher’s aide accused of sexually assaulting a student at Valdez Elementary School in Denver is also a founding board member and coach for the Denver Pirates Youth Baseball League. The manager of the league and a fellow coach told CBS4 that news Matt Melendez’s arrest was a surprise. That league in North Denver is not in season right now but it has suspended Melendez during the investigation.
