Teacher Charged With Sex Abuse Is Registered Sex Offender In Florida
Originally published in the Mohave Daily News, January 29, 2002
BULLHEAD CITY — Jerry Nunez, an ELL (English Language Learner) instructor at Desert Valley School, is listed as a registered sex offender in the state of Florida.
According to the Brevard County Court in Melbourne, Florida, Nunez was charged with "lewd and lascivious acts" upon a child under the age of 16 and sale of alcoholic beverage to a minor in August 1994, then a "violation of community control" in December 1995 and again in June 1996.
Nunez was hired as an instructor in the Bullhead City Elementary School District at the beginning of the school year and was arrested last Wednesday, Jan. 23, and charged with sexual abuse at Desert Valley School, 1066 Marina Boulevard.
In an initial appearance Judge G. R. Arend told Nunez that he did not appear to be a "flight risk" and released him on his own recognizance with the stipulation that he have no contact with the school or the 12-year-old victim.
Then later in the week, the judge ordered Nunez be arrested again and revoked his OR (Own Recognizance). Nunez is now in custody on a $25,000 bond, according to Bullhead City Justice Court.
Last week, police initiated an investigation involving alleged sexual abuse stemming from incidents that occurred at Desert Valley School.
According to Toby Cotter, public information officer for the city of Bullhead City, the initial investigation has revealed that some alleged acts of sexual contact did occur between the suspect and a 12-year-old female victim at the school.
According to Ted Fadler, assistant superintendent for the Bullhead City Elementary School District #15, classified employees are required to have a background check, which includes an FBI fingerprinting investigation.
"What happens is they (FBI) have a backlog and don't get back to us in a timely manner, especially if there is a smudged fingerprint," Fadler said.
"The FBI notifies us that they are unreadable prints, then they have to be reprinted and sent back. So there are several delays that can occur.
"My understanding that this was either his (Nunez's) second or third attempt at fingerprints. The first two attempts, from what I understand, were not productive. This last time, it was Charlotte Melton (school resource officer) herself who attained a clear, clean set of prints for the FBI. We have not heard back from the FBI on that. That leads us to believe they are still being processed."
"Obviously, it's a safety issue and our viewpoint is that we do everything procedurally to protect the safety of the kids," Fadler added.
When asked why a school employee would go into the classroom prior to having their fingerprints cleared, Fadler stated, "They go into the classroom because of the shortage of personnel."
"They are under the supervision of a fully certified staff member."
Fadler was also asked how this alleged inappropriate behavior could have happened under the supervision of a fully certified staff member.
"I don't know, it's under police investigation. I don't know where it occurred."
According to Cotter, the investigation by the police department is still ongoing. There was a search warrant initiated Thursday, Jan. 24, at his residence in Mohave Valley, and items were confiscated during the search that could aid in the investigation.
"Police still have a number of people to interview," Cotter said.
"Through the investigation, police are trying to determine and make sure that there are no other victims."
Nunez remains on paid administrative leave with Bullhead City Elementary School District, according to Fadler.
