Out of jail on bail after violating DV restraining order, recently censured SJUSD Board Trustee arrested again
SAN JACINTO, Calif., — Details are beginning to emerge after a sitting member of the San Jacinto Unified School District Board of Trustees – who was recently censured by other board members for alleged “unacceptable conduct” – was arrested last Saturday, March 5 on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges. The arrest was related to violating a domestic violence restraining order, witness intimidation, stalking and committing a crime while out on bail.
Last Saturday’s arrest marked the third time that 39-year-old, Jeremy Daniel Fontes, of San Jacinto, has been arrested this year, including his Jan. 15 arrest for allegedly making terrorist threats, and a Feb. 19 arrest for violating a domestic violence restraining order related to his January arrest. At the time of his most recent arrest, Fontes was out of jail on bail for his earlier two arrests.
According to sheriff’s officials, additional charges have been filed for yet another alleged domestic violence restraining order violation, which they say occurred on March 4.
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In the wake of, but unrelated to, his second arrest, Fontes – who serves Trustee Area No. 3 – was censured for “unacceptable conduct” by other Board Members during a special meeting held on Sunday, Feb. 27. The censuring was related to allegations of “inappropriate, unprofessional, harassing and disrespectful conduct toward District staff and other Board Members,” including having specifically targeted Board President Deborah Rex.
One of the more serious of the cited conduct violations included that Fontes was reported to have engaged in a hostile and profanity-laced interaction with security officers at Soboba Casino Resort, “while attempting to use his influence as a school board member to obtain a $25,000 line of credit for his personal benefit.”
More details of Fontes’ Feb. 27 censuring, which was covered extensively by RCNS affiliated Valley News, can be viewed here.
SJUSD Board of Trustee member Jermey Fontes – who was recently censured by other board members for alleged “unacceptable conduct” – has been arrested three times since Jan. 15. His charges have included making terrorist threats, stalking, witness intimidation, committing a crime while out on bail, and multiple violations of a domestic violence restraining order. Valley News / Courtesy Photo
Contacted for further information about Fontes’ recent arrests, Riverside County Sheriff’s Sergeant Brandi Swan today told RCNS that on Wednesday, March 2, deputies assigned to the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station received a report that Fontes had violated a domestic violation restraining order.
Riverside County Superior Court records indicate the restraining order was related to his January arrest that involved allegations of him making terrorist threats. Superior Court records also indicated that Fontes’ subsequent arrest on Feb. 21 was for violating a domestic violence restraining order related to his arrest the previous month.
Responding to the area of W. Esplanade Avenue and N. State Street, deputies searched for Fontes, but he had already fled the area prior to their arrival, Swan explained.
Although deputies searched “numerous locations” for Fontes, he was not located that day. However, he was subsequently located and arrested in the 3000 block of West Ramsey Street in Banning early Saturday morning, March 5. That arrest followed another alleged restraining order violation that occurred the previous evening, according to Swan.
He was then booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of committing a felony while out on bail, violation of a domestic violence restraining order, preventing or dissuading a witness from reporting, and stalking.
Online jail records indicate Fontes remains in custody, where he is being held without bail. His next court appearance has been scheduled for March 18th.
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Fontes’ social media and other sources indicate he currently serves as an Air Reserve Technician / Quality Control Inspector at March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley, where he has served since 2008. Before that, he was a USAF combat veteran, serving from 2001-2008. He is a 2001 graduate of San Jacinto High School and graduated from Mt. San Jacinto College in 2013. He was elected to the SJUSD Board of Trustees in 2020 with his initial four-year term set to expire in 2024.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS), which act as stringer-news providers for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.