On Tuesday, September 1, 2015, detectives from the Antioch Police Department informed the Brentwood Union School District that employee Martin Rodriguez, a district groundsperson, had been arrested for possession of child pornography.
Mr. Rodriguez was immediately placed on paid administrative leave and has not been allowed
on any school campus following his arrest.
On Monday, December 7, 2015, Mr. Rodriguez was charged with Misdemeanor Possession of Child or Youth Pornography PC311.11(a). The district received the official complaint from the Superior Court on Wednesday, December 9, 2015.
Following Mr. Rodriguez’s arraignment, the district immediately began moving through the legal process required to change Mr. Rodriguez’s status from paid administrative leave to unpaid leave, pending
resolution of the charges.
In his role as groundsperson, Mr. Rodriguez had extremely limited contact with students and did not work with any students directly.
“The landscaping duties of a groundsperson do not typically involve unsupervised contact with
students. The investigation has not indicated that any Brentwood Union School District students were involved in the materials he possessed or that Mr. Rodriguez had any inappropriate contact with our students,” said district superintendent Dr. Dana Eaton.
Our district is deeply concerned with the serious nature of the allegations. The actions alleged in these charges do not reflect the professionalism and dedication shown on a daily basis by the over 1,000 employees who serve the students and families of Brentwood. All employees are fingerprinted and go through detailed background checks and ongoing training. The safety of our students is our number one concern.
It is our understanding that this matter is now in the hands of the District Attorney. The district will continue to communicate with and cooperate fully with the District Attorney and the Antioch Police Department in their ongoing investigation.
Update 3:30 pm
According to Dr. Dana Eaton, the groundspersons work at different sites on different days. Mr. Rodriguez was assigned to Krey Elementary, Loma Vista Elementary and Bristow Middle School.
Eaton also stated that they waited to make the announcement because Mr. Rodriquez wasn’t charged by the District Attorney until Monday. We were waiting on the Superior Court to send us the official charges that were levied against him. They came today.
