A San Ysidro teaching assistant accused of molesting a 4-year-old student at Sunset Elementary had all criminal charges tossed out Thursday, after prosecutors told a judge they did not have enough evidence to take the case to trial. The dismissal leaves a civil lawsuit filed by the child’s family very much alive and has sharpened parents’ and community members’ demands for more transparency from the San Ysidro School District. The aide, identified in court filings as Jaime Godinez, had been facing two counts of lewd acts upon a child and was placed on administrative leave when the allegations surfaced.
Prosecutors say evidence fell short
In court, prosecutors moved to dismiss the criminal counts, telling the judge they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt after reviewing the investigative file and case status with defense attorneys. The motion was granted and the charges were dismissed, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The decision effectively shuts the door on a criminal trial, even as questions linger in the community about what happened inside the classroom.
DA: 'We must have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt'
At the hearing, the San Diego County District Attorney’s office stressed that it "fully believes and supports the 4-year-old victim and her family" but said the evidence did not clear the high legal bar required in a criminal case. "In order to proceed to trial, we must have evidence beyond a reasonable doubt," prosecutors told reporters, according to FOX 5/KUSI. In other words, they said they could not responsibly take the case to a jury with the record they had.
How the allegations unfolded
Earlier coverage detailed how the allegations trace back to nap time on Jan. 15, 2025, when the child was 4 years old. The teaching assistant was arrested and charged in mid-2025, and the complaint ultimately led to both the now-dismissed criminal case and a separate civil lawsuit, as reported by NBC 7 San Diego. Those parallel tracks have moved at different speeds, with the criminal matter ending abruptly while the civil case continues.
Civil lawsuit remains active
The child’s family has a civil suit pending that names Jaime Godinez, the San Ysidro School District and the classroom teacher as defendants. The complaint alleges negligence, sexual assault and false imprisonment and seeks unspecified damages, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. That lawsuit is completely separate from the criminal case and will keep moving through the court system despite the DA’s decision not to pursue charges at trial.
District response and oversight questions
San Ysidro School District officials have said they cooperated with police, placed the employee on administrative leave as soon as they were notified of the investigation and that Godinez is no longer employed with the district, inewsource reported. Parents have repeatedly packed meetings demanding fuller disclosure about what the district knew and when, and some trustees have called for additional reviews of district procedures since the allegations became public last fall.
What this means legally
The dismissal for lack of sufficient evidence highlights the steep burden prosecutors face in criminal court. Criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, while civil cases rely on a lower "preponderance of the evidence" standard, meaning it only has to be more likely than not that a claim is true, according to the Judicial Branch of California. In practical terms, that difference allows the family’s civil lawsuit to proceed even after prosecutors said they could not meet the criminal standard.
Next steps
In the coming weeks, new court filings will reveal whether the civil case moves into full discovery, edges toward settlement talks or simply grinds forward. Any fresh evidence would surface there, not in a criminal trial that no longer exists. Community scrutiny of the district’s handling of the allegations has not let up since the story first broke, and for now, officials and attorneys on both sides are largely sticking to what they have already said in court and in prior public statements.
