Police: Music teacher blames ‘temptation’ in child molestation case

The North Las Vegas elementary school teacher arrested last week on multiple child molestation charges told police that “temptation” prompted him to inappropriately touch one of his students.

Although an 8-year-old student alleged that Jeremiah Mazo, a music instructor at Hayden Elementary School, molested her 10 times since the school year started in August, Mazo admitted only to touching her twice over her clothes in his classroom, according to an arrest report released Monday.

Mazo “explained he had done this because he had a temptation,” the report reads.

On Friday, North Las Vegas police arrested 54-year-old Mazo on 10 separate charges of lewdness with a child under 14 after the Clark County School District notified investigators about the allegations. A municipal judge on Monday set Mazo’s bail at $100,000 for each of his charges, totaling $1 million.

Mazo, who first joined the district as a music teacher in 2003, has taught at several elementary campuses, including Hayes and Woolley in Las Vegas, and Cozine and Simmons in North Las Vegas. He began working at Hayden, near Centennial Parkway and Commerce Street, in 2009.

Investigators have not determined whether Mazo touched other students at Hayden or other campuses, but North Las Vegas police officer Aaron Patty said the department has received “additional information” about the case.

“Whether that is parents reporting tips or what have you, (detectives) still have some follow-up to do,” Patty said. “It’s still too soon to tell right now, but it’s definitely possible” that more charges will come, he added.

District policy requires all employees to self-report certain crimes, charges and convictions, but spokeswoman Michelle Booth wrote in a late Monday email that Mazo had not yet reported his arrest and charges.

His current status with the district is absent without leave, she said.

After an employee is absent without leave for five days, the district informs them of a contract violation and starts the termination process.

“He will receive his admonition requiring him to come to work unless he is sick (or) on approved leave,” Booth said.

“Assuming he does not respond,” she added, “he will receive the superintendent’s letter recommending his dismissal and suspending him without pay pending an arbitration if he requests one… Being in jail is not an approved excuse for missing work.”

In July 2003, Mazo received his Nevada teaching license, which has remained active since then.

State law requires educators to submit their fingerprints for background checks when applying for a license, and recent changes to the law require an additional background check for license renewals.

The state most recently approved a renewal of Mazo’s license in Oct. 2012.

Additionally, all new district hires must submit their fingerprints for a separate district background check, said Chief Human Resources Officer Staci Vesneske.

Still, some parents dropping off their children Monday at Hayden wondered whether it was possible to effectively check the backgrounds of the district’s more than 40,000 employees.

Michael Sartin, who watched his 5-year-old daughter walk into the school, said she loved Mazo’s class.

“I wonder if the guy had a history?” Sartin asked.

“If this happened a few times, why would they hire him?” he added. “If it hasn’t, I don’t know how they could have prevented this.”

Review-Journal writer Ricardo Torres contributed to this report.

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