Bus driver’s assistant accused of offering girl $20 for sex
Man had worked for public school district since 1980
A man who police say admitted offering to pay for sex with a 13-year-old girl resigned Tuesday from Santa Fe Public Schools, where he worked for decades as a bus driver’s assistant tasked with ensuring the safety of children with disabilities.
Santa Fe police arrested Eutimio Lopez, 60, of Santa Fe on suspicion of sexual exploitation of children by prostitution after the girl reported that he had propositioned her while they waited in his car for her mother to return from a medical appointment and that he also asked her if she had any friends who would engage in a sexual act for $20, according to a police report.
Veronica García, superintendent of the Santa Fe school district, said Lopez resigned Tuesday morning. The district has notified the New Mexico Public Education Department of the allegations, she added.
In his job as a bus driver’s assistant, which he held since 1980, Lopez never should have been alone with children, García said, and was always in the presence of a bus driver.
Jeff Gephart, a spokesman for the school district, said Lopez worked morning and afternoon bus routes assisting students with disabilities. He also helped with a midday route serving prekindergarten children at the Nye Early Childhood Center on Agua Fría Street, Gephart said.
Parents of children on these routes will be notified of the allegations, García said.
The district is not aware of any allega-
tions that Lopez behaved inappropriately with schoolchildren while on the job, she said. “No information was brought to my attention that I’m aware of regarding this employee.”
Lopez, a Las Vegas, N.M., native, has been a would-be local political player. In 1995, he announced his first bid for public office, an unsuccessful run for a seat on the Santa Fe County Commission, according to a New Mexican article. Previously, the story said, he had helped with other political campaigns but had never been a candidate.
In 2005, he applied for appointment by Santa Fe’s mayor to fill a vacancy as municipal judge.
When running for county office, Lopez told he had worked on the Santa Fe Fiesta Council since 1993. He vied for the role of Don Diego DeVargas three times, according to a 2009 article.
A Santa Fe police officer wrote in a complaint filed Monday that Lopez, during a voluntary interview, told police he did not touch the 13-year-old girl or use profanity. But Lopez admitted that he asked the girl to perform a sexual act, and then asked if a friend of hers who he knew to be 13 yearsold “would be willing to have oral sex with him for $20.”
Police arrested Lopez on the seconddegree felony charge based on his admissions to police and witness statements, according to the complaint.
Santa Fe County Magistrate Donita Sena ordered Lopez’s release from jail on a $7,500 unsecured appearance bond on the conditions that he wear an electronic monitor and have no contact with children.
Sena wrote in the order that she found no criminal history for Lopez.
Lopez did not enter a plea at his first court appearance Monday on the felony charge, which is typical in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court. A court document said Lopez is able to hire an attorney on his own. No attorney had entered an appearance as of Tuesday, according to court records. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 23 in front of Santa Fe County Magistrate David Segura.
Lopez, who was booked in Santa Fe County jail on Friday and released Monday evening, has not responded to requests for comment.
A man who picked up his home telephone number Tuesday afternoon said Lopez could not be reached.