EAST PALO ALTO – An employee at Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School was arrested Monday on suspicion of lewd acts with a minor, police said.
On Sept. 6, East Palo Alto police opened an investigation into allegations that 54-year-old Stockton resident James Edward Fitch had “engaged in lewd acts with a minor at his place of employment,” Chief Jeff Liu said in a news release. drop.
Fitch served as a campus relations coordinator at the school, according to Liu and the school’s website.
Liu said detectives “developed probable cause to arrest Fitch for three felony counts of lewd acts with a minor and one felony count of soliciting a minor for lewd acts.”
On Monday, the police department worked with the United States Marshals Service to serve a $500,000 arrest and search warrant at Fitch’s residence, Liu said.
Fitch was expected to be booked into the San Mateo County Jail.
Cmdr. David Santos, a police department spokesman, said he could not provide any additional details about the case, including when the alleged crimes occurred, because the investigation is ongoing.
“We wanted to share what we had so the public was aware of the situation and if anyone has any information that could be helpful to the investigation, we would encourage them to share it with us,” Santos said in an email to this news organization.
Ravenswood City School District Superintendent Gina Sudaria did not immediately return a call and email seeking details on Fitch’s employment status.
Anyone with information about the case can contact the detective assistant. Jose Luaorozco at 650-629-4538. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call or text 650-409-6792 or email epa@tipnow.org.
Check back for updates.