Former High School Teacher Arrested for Inappropriate Relationship with Student 

October 25, 2024 – Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office officials report that on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Special Victim's Unit arrested Patrick Mester for violation of lewd and lascivious acts against a minor.

This investigation has been trailing since 2021. Mester is a former band teacher at Enochs High School; he was terminated in March 2021 after the Modesto Police Department arrested him for inappropriate communication with a student of his, a 16-year-old female at the time.

In October 2021, a second investigation was initiated by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office after Mester was discovered in that same student’s bedroom by the student’s mother. Several interviews were conducted with the victim after the incident.

Since then, the Sheriff’s Office has been working with the District Attorney’s Office.

Patrick Mester was arrested after the District Attorney's Office issued a warrant of arrest 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. His bail was set at $650,000.

Source: Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office