Manteca school employee is among 17 men accused of seeking minors for sex, district says

John Holland
·2 min read
3

A school employee in Manteca is among the 17 men accused of trying to contact minors for sex, a newspaper reported.

Anthony Morrisette, 41, is a paraprofessional at Shasta Elementary School, assisting teachers in classrooms, according to the Manteca Bulletin.

It reported Thursday that the Manteca Unified School District has placed Morrisette on leave and barred him from contacting students or employees at any campus.

Morrisette is an Oakdale resident, according to a Jan. 8 news release about the arrests. They were made by Turlock police via a multi-agency sting operation, where officers pretended to be underage in an online chat. The other 16 men live between Merced and Sacramento counties.

The Manteca district notified Shasta parents about Morrisette by email, the Bulletin reported. He is not suspected of committing the crime while on campus.

“We understand this news might evoke a range of concerns and emotions among the school community,” the notice said. “In consideration of this, students and staff may choose to engage the school’s on-campus counseling services, which offer social and emotional support for anyone who requires assistance processing this disturbing news.”

Police said these other men were arrested on a variety of felony sex charges, including making arrangements to meet a minor for sex:

  • Turlock residents Antoni Shahbaz Yangejeh, 35, Devin Greer Dacanay, 22, Aaron Doub, 41, Mario Dejesus, 37, and Salvador Nunez, 28

  • Modesto residents Juan Viera Jr., 29, Justin Velez, 37, Cesar Linarez Jr., 25, Bryce Wilkinson, 19, and Gerad Slayton, 42

  • Atwater resident Armando Cardenas, 32

  • Livingston resident Leopoldo Garcia Aquino, 25

  • Stevinson resident Jose Herrera Sanchez, 54

  • Delhi resident Andrew Godinez, 21

  • Newman resident Jesus Cerna Bernabe, 29

  • Elverta (Sacramento County) resident Fernando Delacruz Martinez, 36

All were booked into the Stanislaus County jail, with the majority being held on $500,000 bail, the release said. Its online log shows six of them remained there as of Friday morning: Cardenas, Doub, DeJesus, Linarez, Velez and Viera.

The release said Turlock Detective Gina Giovacchini organized the sting with help from the Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit and state parole officers.

People with information about the case can call Giovacchini at 209-668-6539. They also can contact the Turlock department’s tip line at 209-668-5550, ext. 6780, or at tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.