Student Aide, 20, Accused Of Sexually Molesting Girl, 13

ALHAMBRA (CBS) — A student aide at Garfield Elementary School in Alhambra was behind bars on suspicion of sexually molesting a 13-year-old girl, it was reported Saturday.

Johnny Lagunas, 20, was arrested Friday at his home in El Monte and booked on suspicion of child molestation, Alhambra police Lt. Dan Rodriguez told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

The crime allegedly happened back in January and the girl only reported it recently.

Lagunas, who was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday at the Alhambra courthouse.

Rita Garcia, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, says Lagunas was a part-time worker but still reporting to the campus as late as yesterday.

According to the police, the victim -- now in high school -- waited to report the incident for unspecified reasons.

But Garcia reports when police questioned Lagunas "he fessed up." He confirmed that a molestation had taken place, "on school grounds, in an elevator," according to Garcia.

Brandon Black, of the Alhambra Police Department, told Garcia "somehow the victim, or the suspect entered the elevator with the victim, and he used a key to lock [the elevator] and that's when the assault took place."

Concerned parents wondered how Lagunas passed a background check but police told Garcia he had no prior run-ins with the law.

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