A July 11 preliminary hearing was confirmed recently for a former assistant Mar Vista High School football coach accused of 20 felony counts involving molestation of a female 9th grade student.
Trial dates have been set in the molestation cases against two other former employees or contractors of the Sweetwater Union High School District in Chula Vista Superior Court.
Edward Aaron Mendoza, 27, is the only one still in jail after all three were charged separately with molestation of students at the Imperial Beach high school.
The others, Martin Gallegos, 48, and Alejandro Rodriguez, 20, are free on bond.
Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Matzger said Tuesday Mendoza is charged with 14 counts of committing a lewd act with a minor, and six counts of use of harmful matter that involves cellphone photos of a minor involving sexual conduct.
Mendoza, Gallegos, and Rodriguez have all pleaded not guilty. Mendoza is charged with more counts than the other two and remains in jail on $900,000 bail.
Gallegos waived his right to have a preliminary hearing June 6 and was automatically ordered to stand trial on two charges involving oral copulation and sexual penetration of a minor in the 12th grade. A trial date was set for Sept. 12. Gallegos was a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor who was also a substitute teacher.
Rodriguez was a tutor for another agency which provided tutoring services to the district. He is accused of molesting a teen-age boy who testified in a May 26 preliminary hearing. An Aug. 15 trial was set for Rodriguez, who was the first one arrested on March 9.
Gallegos was arrested April 9. Mendoza was taken into custody on April 12 in Chula Vista. All of the cases are separate from each other and do not involve the same victims or witnesses.
