Hayden Elementary School music teacher faces child molestation charges

A North Las Vegas elementary school teacher faces multiple charges of child molestation after police arrested him on Friday.

Jeremiah Mazo, a 54-year-old music teacher at Hayden Elementary School, was booked on 10 separate charges of lewdness with a child under 14, according to North Las Vegas police Sgt. Chrissie Coon.

“The 10 separate incidents stem from allegations of multiple incidents with the same victim from the beginning of the school year in August last year,” Coon said. She declined to speak to any prior criminal history on Mazo, saying she didn’t have access to those records.

Michelle Booth, a spokeswoman with the Clark County School District, confirmed Mazo has been a district employee since 2003 but could not comment on any of his previous positions at other campuses, saying the arrest happened too late in the day to gather more information.

Booth said Hayden Principal Ivy Burns sent an electronic message notifying parents of the arrest on Friday.

According to district salary information posted on Transparent Nevada.com, Mazo has taught at the elementary school near Centennial Parkway and Commerce Street since 2009.

Coon could not detail the molestation allegations against Mazo, but said an 8-year-old girl was involved.

She added that the district reported the allegations to North Las Vegas police about 1 p.m. Friday.

“We are investigating whether or not there were any additional victims in this case,” Coon said. “I would encourage parents of students from that school who had interaction with (Mazo) to talk to their children, and if anyone has any unusual activity to report…call North Las Vegas Police Department at 702-633-9111.”

Mazo’s teenage daughter posted an early reaction to the news on social media site Facebook.com.

“How can people be so stupid?” she wrote Friday evening. “Something very bad has happened to my dad, no he’s not dead or sick. But I need immediate prayer warriors and intercessors for my dad and a second person right now and for the CCSD and for my family and this situation.”

She did not immediately respond to a message asking for clarification about the “second person,” but added in her post, “This is very serious and we need all the help we can get. And yes this is an emergency.”

Review-Journal writer Kimber Laux contributed to this report.

Contact Neal Morton at nmorton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279. Find him on Twitter: @nealtmorton.