Janitor Sentenced For Molesting Students In San Mateo County

HALF MOON BAY, CA — A 55-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to state prison for molesting students at a Montara-area school where he worked as a janitor, San Mateo County prosecutors said.

Joel Cortez Altamirano was sentenced to three years in prison with 450 days credit for time served after pleading no contest in November to felony child molestation charges involving students at Farallone View Elementary School, according to the district attorney's office.

The abuse occurred between August 2016 and June 2017, with the fifth-grade victims reporting that Altamirano fondled and grabbed them, prosecutors said.

At the time of his arrest, Cabrillo Unified School District officials said they were "deeply saddened for the involved students and their families."

The defense attorney for Altamirano, who had been in custody leading up to the sentencing, was not immediately available to comment on the case.

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