Two Evanston/Skokie School District 65 employees have been charged with sexually abusing minors, which did not involve any students, according to court documents and district officials.
Carlos Mendez, the assistant principal at Washington Elementary, and his girlfriend, Maribel Flores Hernandez, a paraprofessional at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center, face aggravated criminal sexual abuse, according to court documents. They were arrested by Chicago police Feb. 5.
Mendez, 51, and Flores Hernandez abused the child, who did not attend the Evanston/Skokie School District 65, “through the coordination of grooming and coercion” for nearly two years. Mendez was also alleged to have abused two other children who didn’t attend the school where Mendez worked.
In a statement, the Evanston/Skokie District 65 said Mendez has been on a leave of absence from his job as assistant principal since Oct. 28, and Flores Hernandez has been on a leave of absence of her job since Jan. 16.
“It is the District’s understanding that the allegations in question are unrelated to their professional responsibilities and do not involve any District 65 students. The safety and wellbeing of our community remains our highest priority. While these allegations are deeply concerning, this is a personnel matter and we are unable to share additional details at this time,” the district said in the statement.
In a Cook County court hearing the day after their arrests, Flores Hernandez and Mendez were ordered detained, according to court records.
Prosecutors say Mendez and Flores Hernandez allegedly approached the child in 2023 about “becoming comfortable with people touching her.” The child, who was 13 at the time, told them she felt uncomfortable being touched, to which Mendez and Flores Hernandez allegedly told her she’d need “to get used to it,” according to court documents.
In several instances between 2023 and 2025, Flores Hernandez and Mendez allegedly touched the girl inappropriately, and prosecutors added that when the girl tried to refuse their actions, Flores Hernandez would grow angry. Mendez is accused of doing sexual acts on the child in October 2025, telling the child — now 15 — to “relax,” according to court records.
The child was with her father one day and burst into tears telling him that she had been sexually assaulted, officials said. The father then called police and DCFS, and the child was taken to Lurie Children’s Hospital for treatment, prosecutors said.
Three other children also said they were abused during a forensic interview, officials said.
In June 2025, Mendez, a 13-year-old child and Flores Hernandez went on a trip to Miami where Mendez repeatedly spoke to the child about learning to do a sexual act, authorities said. During one night on the trip, Mendez took the child into the room where he and Flores Hernandez were staying and the two began performing sex acts while the teen watched, with Mendez telling the child he should be masturbating, prosecutors said.
After leaving Florida, Mendez continued to “harass” the child about what happened in Miami, and the boy eventually told his mother about what happened out of fear, according to court records.
Mendez and Flores Hernandez have outstanding warrants out of Florida over the alleged sexual assault in Miami, officials said.
Their next court date was scheduled for Feb. 25 at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse.