2 District 65 Employees Charged With Sex Crimes Against Children

SKOKIE, IL — Two Evanston/Skokie School District 65 employees were arrested by Chicago police last week and charged with sex crimes against children.

Carlos Mendez, assistant principal at Washington Elementary, and a woman identified as his girlfriend Maribel Flores-Hernandez, a paraprofessional at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center, were arrested Feb. 5. Mendez has been on leave from his position since Oct. 28, 2025 for unknown reasons.

“Carlos Mendez has been on a leave of absence from his position with the District since October 28, 2025,” a District 65 spokesperson said in a statement. “It is the District’s understanding that the allegations in question are unrelated to his professional responsibilities and do not involve any District 65 students. The safety and well-being of our community remains our highest priority. While these allegations are deeply concerning, this is a personnel matter and we are unable to share additional details at this time.”

According to charging documents, first reported on by the Evanston RoundTable, Mendez was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child, domestic battery and being a fugitive from justice with a warrant from out of state. The documents allege that Mendez sexually abused a minor family member of Flores-Hernandez in Chicago for two years.

Flores-Hernandez is accused of cooperating with the abuse and was charged with criminal sexual assault of a minor.

According to the out-of-state warrant, which was issued in Florida, Mendez and Flores-Hernandez are also accused of sexually abusing a different minor relative in Miami over the summer. It is unknown if the child is related to Mendez or Flores-Hernandez.

Both Mendez and Flores-Hernandes are in custody at the Cook County Jail and are being held without bail. They are expected to appear in court on Feb. 25 at 11:30