A former Enochs High School teacher has been arrested on charges involving an inappropriate relationship with a student. The teacher, identified as Patrick Mester, was taken into custody by the department's Special Victim's Unit on Wednesday, for allegedly engaging in lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, as announced by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office via their Facebook page.
The case against Mester has been under investigation since 2021, when the Modesto Police Department initially arrested him for inappropriate communication with a 16-year-old female student. After being terminated from his position as a band teacher in March 2021, his bail was set at $650,000, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office stated.
Later in October 2021, an incident propelled a second investigation by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office when Mester was found in the bedroom of the same student by her mother. Following the incident, several interviews were conducted with the student to further the investigation.
Over the years, working alongside the District Attorney's Office, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office has culminated their efforts into an arrest. Patrick Mester now faces charges for two counts of lewd acts with a minor between 14 and 15 years old, and two counts of attempting to meet with a minor for lewd purposes, the Sheriff's social media post elaborated.
