Parents, educators, and community members were shaken to the core when news broke of the arrest of an assistant site director from Fiesta Gardens International School located at 1001 Bermuda Drive in San Mateo, California on a multitude of sexual crimes via San Mateo PD. The site director, 25-year-old Redwood City resident Kevin Granados-Elizalde was taken into custody yesterday, following a disturbing report from a parent about inappropriate interactions between her child and Granados-Elizalde.
According to a media release by the San Mateo Police Department, responding officers discovered a harrowing array of criminal activity perpetrated by Granados-Elizalde, including contacting a minor to commit a felony, arranging a meeting with a minor, lewd or lascivious acts with a child under fourteen years old, use of an underage person for obscene matter, and possession of child pornography. This horrifying case brings to light the ever-present danger of child exploitation and the importance of community vigilance in protecting our children.
As this chilling scenario played out, San Mateo Police Department detectives worked tirelessly on the investigation and discovered the summer school program at Fiesta Gardens International School was operated by the Boys and Girls Club, which employed Granados-Elizalde as the assistant site director. This shocking revelation only served to deepen the horror and sadness felt by local parents and educators, many of whom trusted the institution and its staff to provide a safe environment for their children.
While the investigation remains ongoing, the San Mateo Police Department has requested that any victims of Kevin Granados-Elizalde come forward and contact Detective Sergeant Dave Manion at (650) 504-7568 or by email at [email protected]. Anonymous tips can also be submitted at http://tinyurl.com/SMPDTips or by calling (650) 522-7676.
In an effort to support the community, the media release by the San Mateo Police Department highlighted several key tips and preventative measures by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to provide crucial guidance for protecting children.
For more information on child sexual abuse and exploitation, visit the NCMEC website at http://www.missingkids.com/home. We urge you to share this article as a means to raise awareness and support those in need as we all work together to protect our children and ensure the safety of our communities.
