Selma middle school employee arrested: What happens next?
SELMA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – An employee with Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Selma is facing multiple charges of sexual assault involving a child.
The school district says the person is no longer working at the school site.
Selma Unified employee arrested on alleged child sexual abuse charges, released on bail
The Selma Police Department says they arrested Selma Unified employee 26-year-old Selena Perez on four sexual offense charges involving a child.
She was booked at the Fresno County Jail, police say she posted bail and bonded out of jail the same day.
Defense attorney David Mugridge says this kind of crime is serious and could take some time to resolve. Depending on the investigation, and whether it goes to trial, the maximum sentence could vary.
“One of the things they’ll look at more than anything else is, was there some actual sexual touching?” said Mugridge. “And if that has occurred, then, you know, the hurdles go up and the amount of time potentially goes up. But even in the misdemeanor case, if that’s what they ended up doing, you’re going to have some sexual registration.”
The legal expert says investigators could possibly look to see if more victims were involved.
“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the police or the district attorneys are out there now, you know, thinking about that and evaluating whether or not potentially there are some other people that are out there that may be victims,” said the defense attorney.
Selma Unified School District officials say Perez worked at Abraham Lincoln Middle School.
Superintendent Ed Gomes released a statement that reads in part:
The employee, who works at our middle school, has been removed from campus by our campus school resource officer, who is a police officer working at the school site. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement while they continue to investigate. We are providing support to affected students and families, and we have added extra counselors at the school site for any support for students and employees.
Superintendent Ed Gomes.
Mugridge says the biggest advice he has for parents is to listen to their children if they are feeling uncomfortable being around someone.
“I would urge parents, if they are parents of children that go to that school to keep their eyes open, be aware of anything,” said Mugridge. “And if you hear of anything, say something, report it.”
The Selma Police Department encourages anyone with any additional information to contact them.
