Phoenix Bernard Black Elementary school janitor arrested for sexual conduct with a minor

PHOENIX - An elementary school janitor accused of performing sexual acts on a child is behind bars.

Lucas Hernandez, 30, was arrested at Bernard Black Elementary School on Monday morning.

Phoenix police said he admitted to the accusations of having sexual contact with a 13-year-old boy dating back to 2009.

Hernandez recorded the encounters at least five times and stored the recordings on USB drives, according to investigators.

When Hernandez recently moved out of his Glendale home, his roommate discovered the drives and the video and alerted police.

When the victim was interviewed, he told police that the sexual contact continued beyond the few months in 2009 and that the man would regularly give him massages and also offered him beer until the victim was drunk.

Below is the full statement from the Roosevelt School District:

The safety and security of our students is of utmost importance to our District. We want our parents to know that we are cooperating fully with the police investigation. We know that a situation like this can be upsetting to parents. Because this is both a police and a personnel matter, the District cannot comment further on the investigation or allegation. Please be advised that moving forward we will work collaboratively with Phoenix Police to make sure that any further communication with our families regarding this matter will be conducted in the most appropriate manner possible.

Joseph Ortiz
Director of Public and Community Relations