HOUSTON – Houston police are redoubling their efforts to find a former Houston Independent School District employee who is accused of jumping bail and disappearing in 2017 after being charged with the aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Mauricio Mendoza, 41, worked as an IT technician at Hartman Middle School where the 13-year-old victim attended classes. She told police he assaulted her on school grounds during the 2016-2017 school year. Investigators said that Mendoza skipped town shortly after posting a $2,000 bond and hasn’t been seen since.
Investigators are stepping up their efforts to find him after another former student came forward to say she was also sexually assaulted by Mendoza at the school about the same time. She was also 13 at the time.
She told police that on two occasions, Mendoza stalked her in the school auditorium. She said Mendoza violently fondled her the first time and raping her a week later. She said that a male schoolmate intervened in the rape and pulled Mendoza off of her. She told police that neither of them reported Mendoza at the time because she was afraid of being ostracized.
“He’s incredibly dangerous, and not just dangerous because he was a teacher at a school. That was just where he had access,” said Assistant Harris County District Attorney Jenna Oswald. “He can find another access to children, and so he is dangerous. He’s dangerous to any child he’s around. So any access to children that he has could lead to other incidents.”
Mendoza has relatives in Canada, but prosecutors said he could still be in Houston.
“We’re hoping these two extra warrants will hopefully bring about more information that will help us get him into custody,” Oswald said.
Anyone with information on Mendoza is asked to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477. A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to Mendoza’s arrest.