Overview
- Two students reported to school staff that a teacher inappropriately touched them, prompting a sheriff’s investigation.
- Detectives identified the suspect as 52-year-old Javier Villanueva, an eighth-grade English teacher in the Empire Union School District.
- Investigators believe the first alleged incident occurred during the 2024–2025 school year, with the most recent on Monday.
- Villanueva was found near his home with assistance from Patterson Police Services and booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on $500,000 bail.
- The sheriff’s office says the case is active and requests tips at 209-525-7117 or 1-866-602-7463 or online at stancrimetips.org, while the district had not yet responded to media inquiries.