A former janitor at a North Texas middle school has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the on-campus sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy.
The Denton Record-Chronicle reported Tuesday that 63-year-old Ambrocio Mata was sentenced after being convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Prosecutors said Mata had sexual contact with the boy while working at Calhoun Middle School in Denton.
In an arrest affidavit, Denton police said a janitor opened a locked closet Oct. 22, 2012, and found Mata and a young boy inside. When the door was opened, the janitor reported the boy ran out of the closet and to his next class.
The incident was reported and ultimately investigated by the school resource officer, Eric Coulston. Further details were discovered through surveillance camera footage and confirmed by the boy.
During an interview with police, the boy identified Mata from images taken from the surveillance video as the one who makes him very uncomfortable. In the affidavit, the boy describes the man as "the creepy janitor" and said the custodian had asked him to rub his leg and "stuff."
According to the affidavit, the boy said the janitor threatened to hurt him and that he felt like he needed police protection while in school. He said he wanted to run and tell the principal, but felt that if he did he would be harmed.
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Mata joined the Denton Independent School District custodial staff in 2005. He was fired after his 2012 arrest.
