San Jose police said Wednesday that they had arrested a therapist and elementary school aide on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor girl during a therapy session.
Alejandro Lopez Nunez, a 48-year-old behavioral therapist at Trumpet Behavioral Health and a part time instructional aide at Forest Hill Elementary School, was arrested June 9 in Santa Clara, police said in a news release. He was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail.
The alleged assault occurred June 7 at the girl’s home. Police responded to a call to the home on June 8, when they determined that that assault took place, they said.
Authorities determined that Lopez Nunez had assaulted the girl multiple times since March in an investigation by SJPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children/Child Exploitation Detail Task Force, police added.
Trumpet Behavioral Health has terminated the employment of Lopez Nunez and begun an internal review, said a spokesperson for the company.
“Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and well-being of the children in our care,” the spokesperson for Trumpet Behavioral Health said. “As a community, we are deeply disturbed and saddened by these allegations. We have extensive safety and conduct protocols that we strictly enforce and that our employees are trained on and expected to uphold.”
Lopez Nunez was hired by the Campbell Union School District in 2022 following a “rigorous screening process,” Marla Sanchez, the public information officer for the school district, said in a statement. She added that Lopez Nunez worked under the supervision of the classroom teacher and that the district had no knowledge that his alleged behavior involved any students.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our top priority,” Sanchez said in the statement. “Our District will be taking appropriate personnel action upon the conclusion of our investigation. We are cooperating with SJPD in this matter and encourage our community to step forward if they have any information.”
Police said they believe there may be other victims because of Lopez Nunez’s position as a person of trust, they said. Anyone with information related to this case or another incident has been asked to contact Detective Minten #4269 at the SJPD Crimes Against Children Task Force at 4269@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4102.