3 weeks ago
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A substitute night custodian working at a Chula Vista school has been arrested and charged with child molestation, authorities said.
Edward Puga, 23, was arrested last week and pleaded not guilty Tuesday to five counts related to child sexual abuse. The alleged incidents occurred between December 2022 and last November. Puga remained jailed Wednesday in lieu of $3 million bail, jail records show.
San Diego police child abuse detectives are handling the investigation. Police spokesperson Sgt. Saum Poorsaleh said investigators confirmed there is one alleged victim, and possibly a second one. Poorsaleh said neither is a student in the Chula Vista Elementary School District where the janitor worked part-time.
He also said investigators do not believe there are any victims from the school where Puga worked.
On Tuesday, school district Superintendent Eduardo Reyes issued a letter notifying families and staff in the district of the arrest. It states that San Diego police “confirmed that the incidents were not related to the Chula Vista Elementary School District and did not involve any of the district’s students.”
Reyes said the custodian had passed background checks when he was hired, and that he is “no longer an active substitute for the district.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
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