Anaheim Teacher Accused of Molestation

An Anaheim junior high school teacher was charged Tuesday with multiple felonies for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old student, prosecutors said.

Carlos Jose Melendez, a science teacher at Ball Junior High School, faces four counts of committing lewd acts, three counts of oral copulation with a minor and one misdemeanor count of indecent exposure in a public place, according to a four-page complaint filed by prosecutors.

Melendez, 32, of Irvine, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Fullerton on Tuesday. He was being held at the Anaheim Detention Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Melendez is accused of molesting the student more than once between Jan. 10 and May 10, and all the alleged incidents occurred on campus, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Joe Dane. The girl told her parents, who called police Friday, Dane said. Melendez was arrested after he was questioned at the Police Department.

Dane declined to say why the girl told her parents four months after the incidents allegedly began.

Melendez received his teaching credential in 2002, according to state records. He has been placed on administrative leave, said Pat Karlack, a spokeswoman for the Anaheim Union High School District. She would supply no further details about Melendez’s teaching career.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 17.