On Tuesday, Turlock Police responded to a suspicious incident at Dutcher Middle School in the 1400 block of Colorado Avenue.

The caller was a campus supervisor who had observed an odd encounter between a student and an unknown man, who had handed food and clothing to the student near the school’s perimeter fence.

Officers arrived on scene and identified the man as Rene Ledezma, 52, of Modesto. It was also discovered that Ledezma was a Turlock Transit bus driver.

Detectives took over the investigation and confirmed that Ledezma was a Storer Transit Systems employee. Storer is contracted by the City of Turlock to operate Turlock Transit.

After Ledezma’s shift, detectives met with him at the city corporation yard and arrested him without incident.

A preliminary search of the victim and Ledezma’s cell phones revealed evidence of inappropriate conversations between the two.

Ledezma was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sex offense and attempting to commit a lewd or lascivious act with a child under the age of 14.

“Because a school employee felt that something inappropriate was taking place and reported it, Turlock Police were able to act swiftly to ensure the safety of the student,” said Detective Urban. “This is yet another example of ‘See something-Say something’ working.”

Storer confirmed to police that Ledezma has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

“This is an isolated incident and was not connected to any other schools in TUSD,” the Turlock Unified School District shared on social media. “We would like to recognize our Duthcer campus supervisor whose keen observation and vigilance led to today’s arrest and thank Turlock Police Department for their swift actions to protect student safety.”

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information that could assist in it is encouraged to call Detective Nathan Urban at 209-668-6571.