Amid controversy, AISD police chief takes another job

DA says alleged sex assault of child might not have occurred.

Austin school district Police Chief Eric Mendez is expected to announce his resignation Monday morning, taking another police chief position in another organization.

The announcement comes just days after questions surfaced about whether his staff did enough to investigate the sexual assault allegation of a 4-year-old girl at Boone Elementary in February.

On Friday night, Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore told the American-Statesman that investigators are leaning toward a finding that the Boone student’s injuries weren’t the result of a sexual assault.

“Based on what we know now, there is nothing about the way the officer closed the case that compromised an appropriate outcome,” she said. “We are completing the investigation in a way that is consistent with our principles.”

Mendez, who has been head of the department since 2012, called for a police staff meeting Monday morning. He said he wouldn’t name the organization he is joining until then.

In an interview late Friday, Mendez said he had been in the application process for the other police chief position for months.

“It was a good position that was good for my professional development and growth and it was a great position and opportunity for my family,” Mendez said Friday night. “I knew on Monday on this week I had been selected for the position, but I intentionally withheld the information because I didn’t want the focus to be taken away from the investigation and from the parent meeting. I didn’t want anything to cloud the infor-

mation.”

“I wanted a personal private information for the individuals I’ve worked with for 18 years,” he said. “I love Austin, I love Austin ISD, and I loved my time here in Austin.”

Mendez said he will stay in his current job through the school year.

Superintendent Paul Cruz said Mendez recently informed him of the plans to take the job with another organization but also said they wanted to delay the announcement until after Thursday night’s parent meeting at Boone, where parents expressed concerns about the case.

“The chief is a strong leader,” Cruz said. “He has shown utmost commitment to Austin ISD, our students and our families. He has served our students and families well for years. He is very well respected within the Austin ISD community. There is no question about his leadership, his work or his work ethic.”

Travis County prosecutors late last week opened an investigation into the possible sexual assault of the prekindergarten student at Boone Elementary in South Austin — two months after school district police closed the case — after the alleged victim’s parents complained that the police inquiry had not been thorough enough.

The American-Statesman reported late last week that school police had not obtained key medical documents after doctors determined the child had been sexually assaulted. That report was based in part on information provided by Mendez.

However, Mendez said Thursday night after a parent meeting with Boone Elementary parents that district police did not close the investigation without reviewing medical records of the alleged victim.

“While the technical step in the process of picking up the information and placing it in our case file wasn’t done, the actual investigative portion of reviewing the documents was done,” Mendez said Thursday night.

Mendez also said that new detectives are reviewing the case to double-check the department’s work on it.

“I want fresh eyes on the case,” Mendez said Thursday. “Because of the concerns, because of the questions, we don’t want to leave any stone unturned . ... The DA’s office is participating with us . ... We’re going to look it all over again to ensure that everything is conducted appropriately.

“While I understand that parents may be shaken and their confidence may be lacking in our department, we are diligently working to ensure our students are safe every day,” Mendez said. “We are going to ensure that everything was done correctly in this case. We’re not just investigating to determine if the child was harmed here at school. We’re following through with the cooperation with the DA’s office. We’re going to find out that if it wasn’t at school, where was it? What happened? We want to make sure we don’t leave any stone unturned.”

Mendez also confirmed Thursday that school investigators also are reviewing two more previously reported crime cases at separate campuses. Mendez has said they want to ensure detectives properly handled those cases amid concerns and others from the community.