A Park City School District employee has been arrested on felony charges. Lynn Ware Peek has more.
According to a press release from the PCSD, on Monday morning, Park City School District Officials were notified by the Utah Attorney General's Office that a school district employee had been arrested Saturday evening. The district received copies of the documents filed with the Summit County court on August 11, 2014. These documents provided the felony charges against Mr. Jose Ardanaz , who has been a second grade teacher in the dual language program at Parley’s Park Elementary. According to the documents filed, Ardanaz was charged with second-degree felonies as a result of evidence that was obtained from his personal computer and personal property.
Accoridng to the press release, the district’s first and foremost concern is the safety of Park City School District Students. Subsequently, Ardanaz has been suspended from the 5th grade position given the nature of the charges; and the district is consulting with legal counsel about current employment due process options it may pursue based on these charges. In addition, the district is conducting an internal investigation, to determine if there is any illegal content on district owned (or issued) technology. At this juncture, the arrest documents indicate that the evidence seized was on personal property, not from district property.
Ardanaz has been in the district for three years. He’s a native of Pamplona , Spain and according to his Facebook page was flying back to Park City from Spain on Saturday.
According to the sheriff's report, following a joint investigation by the state district attorneys office and the Summit County’s Sheriff’s office, Ardanaz was arrested of five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Evidence was found on Ardanaz’s personal computer and on a thumb drive found in his Park City condo of uploads of child pornography.