SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Former New Mexico school employee Robert Apodaca is accused of molesting multiple students. Now, four other people are accused of failing to report Apodaca’s behavior to police.
Robert Apodaca is accused of sexually abusing three boys; ages nine, 12 and 14, between 2019 and 2021. At the time Apodaca was an employee in Santa Fe at the Gonzales Community School and then the Santo Nino Catholic School.
According to court filings, a worker at Santo Nino walked into a dark room where students were watching a movie and saw a child on Apodaca’s lap, which is a violation of the school’s code of conduct. The worker reported the incident to the principal, who then reported it to the superintendent, who reported it to the archdiocese victim coordinator. According to investigators, the officials determined the incident did not merit reporting to law enforcement or CYFD.
Charges of failing to report child abuse have been filed against all four; the original employee, principal, superintendent and the archdiocese coordinator. The child’s mother reported the incident to police.