Former HISD Employee Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges

Meagan Flynn March 23, 2017 7:00AM

Mauricio Mendoza Courtesy HISD

Mauricio Mendoza

Courtesy HISD

A former Houston Independent School District employee has been charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years old, HISD announced yesterday.

Mauricio Mendoza, who worked at Hartman Middle School, was arrested Wednesday on the charges and posted $50,000 bond.

He had been fired from HISD since December, when HISD police launched an investigation after school officials received a report of the allegations. At that time, HISD also contacted Child Protective Services.

HISD would not reveal how Mendoza was employed at the middle school except to say he wasn't a teacher or tutor. HISD also wouldn't comment on what the allegations were, who reported them, what the relationship was between the child and Mendoza, or whether the child was male or female. In its press release, HISD described the alleged aggravated sexual assault as "inappropriate contact" with the student.

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Meagan Flynn is a staff writer at the Houston Press who, despite covering criminal justice and other political squabbles in Harris County, drinks only one small cup of coffee per day.

Contact: Meagan Flynn