Las Vegas police say jailed school custodian faced prior discipline

A middle school custodian accused of unlawful contact with sixth-grade girls was disciplined in June for behaving inappropriately with students, Las Vegas police records show.

Jesus A. Acosta, 56, was arrested Saturday. He worked as a custodian at Tarkanian Middle School, 5800 W. Pyle Ave., and was hired by the district in 2014.

Acosta was arrested on three counts of unlawful contact with a minor, a gross misdemeanor, but prosecutors charged him with only one count. He is being held at the Clark County Detention Center on $6,000 bail.

A police report on his arrest alleges Acosta behaved inappropriately with three girls on multiple occasions from December through March. The girls told police the custodian would hug them, tell them he loved them and offer them food. He kissed one of the girls on the head, according to the report.

School Principal Eric Johnson told police Acosta was disciplined in June after he was caught messaging with two students. Acosta signed a document saying that he would not communicate or exchange personal information with students, according to the police report, and he was directed to “keep all interactions” between himself and students “on a professional level.”

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Follow @WesJuhl on Twitter.