A 32-year-old cleaning contractor who was working at Lyman Hall in Wallingford has been arrested, accused of having sex with a student on Monday afternoon.
Juan David Mazo-Ospina, who was working for a private cleaning company contracted by the Wallingford Board of Education, is accused of sexually assaulting a student after school while working in the vocational agricultural building, according to police.
Wallingford police were notified of a possible sexual assault around midnight on Monday and immediately notified the principal and superintendent, who responded to the school and helped with the investigation.
According to court documents, the 15-year-old victim left the school around 2 p.m. Monday but returned to the vocational-agricultural building a short time later.
She said she encountered the janitor, who forced her into a closet and forced her to have sex.
Around 10:30 p.m., she told her foster mother of the incident and her foster mother brought the girl to MidState Medical Center for an examination.
Police were contacted and began an investigation early Tuesday morning. Officers viewed surveillance video, which showed the girl with a man closely resembling Mazo-Ospina.
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Investigators located Mazo-Ospina at his home in West Haven Tuesday afternoon.
According to court documents, he admitted to smoking several cigarettes with the girl and said the two began to kiss. Mazo-Ospina told officers the two had consensual sex.
Police re-interviewed the girl, who admitted she agreed to kiss Mazo-Ospina, but maintained he forced her into the closet when she said she wouldn't have sex with him.
According to a letter that Supt. Salvatore Menzo sent to parents, the district was notified of the allegations on Tuesday morning, investigated and contacted the contractor to ensure that “the individual at issue would be on leave and not permitted access to any of the District’s schools” as the incident was further investigated.
Mazo-Ospina was charged with two counts of sexual assault in the second degree, two counts of risk of injury to a minor, held on a $75,000 bond after being arraigned at Meriden Superior Court on Wednesday morning. He is due back in court Oct. 31 and the judge issued a protective order for the victim.
Menzo told parents that the schools will review the police reports and determine what further action, if any, the school district needs to take.
“We understand that this is a troublesome issue to share with you. It our understanding that the allegations are related to an isolated incident. We have taken every measure to ensure student safety in all our schools,” Menzo's letter said.
