Criminal Justice instructor charged with molestation

Modesto Police have arrested a Modesto Junior College instructor of criminal justice on suspicion of molesting two teenage girls, believed to be friends of the suspect's daughter. At around 9 a.m. on Friday August 28, Modesto Police arrested Francisco "Frank" Jose Drummond, 41, during a staff meeting at Modesto Junior College. He was taken into custody without incident. Drummond was later booked at the Stanislaus County Jail on charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14 and lewd and lascivious acts with a 14 or 15 year old minor; both are felonies. He was later released on $75,000 bail. According to the Modesto Bee (August 28, 2009) police were called to Drummond's house on the 900 block of Wellesley Avenue on August 22 at about 8:40 p.m. to investigate lewd acts upon two teenage girls. The Log has not been able to obtain a copy of the report. Detectives believe the girls were assaulted separately, in the month of August. The investigation states that the suspect touched each of the girls in a sexual nature while at his home. Specific details of the individual assaults have not yet been publicly disclosed or discussed at the request of the victims and their parents. In a phone interview with the Log, Frank Drummond's attorney Kirk McAllister said, "Frank Drummond is innocent of these charges, and we're going to fight these allegations as hard as anyone has seen. All of the facts of the investigation are going to come out in court. We are satisfied about what we have done so far in investigating these matters. We're investigating what may have motivated these allegations, including the motivation of the Modesto Police Department." McAllister also said that they are investigating the way they chose to arrest Drummond. "It's certainly unnecessary on terms of his being a well established resident of the area." In 2005-6, Drummond raised critical questions regarding the nature of police cadet training at the police academy that was then held at MJC in partnership with local law enforcements agencies, alleging unnecessary harshness and a para military tone to the exercises. As a result of the investigation that followed, the police academy was moved off campus to the Ray Simon Regional Training Center of the Sherriff's Department on East Hackett Road. Drummond's arrest took place at the MJC east campus, just as faculty and staff were entering the Auditorium for Institute Day activities. According to Yosemite Community College District (YCCD) spokesman Nick Stavrianoudakis, the college district later placed Drummond on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of his legal proceedings, which is standard in such cases. He turned in his campus room keys. He is not allowed on campus, nor does he have access to school records. Alternate instructors have been called upon to teach Drummond's courses, and his fall courses will not be canceled. YCCD Chancellor Roe Darnell said in an email statement, "We recognize the seriousness of the allegations and now we will wait for the legal process to run its course." Speaking with the editor of the Log, Lauren Rash, by phone last week, Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Diane Wirth said that with regard to any faculty member who might be named in criminal charges, the District "goes by the standard of 'innocent until proven guilty,' which does not reflect on Frank personally." As reported in the Bee, Drummond resigned as a reserve police officer for the Ripon Police Department four days into the investigation. He worked previously for the Patterson Police Department and the Modesto Police Department. "During his time with the department we did not receive any allegations of on-duty misconduct regarding Mr. Drummond," Ripon police spokesman Lt. Ed Ormonde said in a news release. "The Ripon Police Department has cooperated fully with the Modesto Police Department since being informed of this investigation." In April 1991, the Modesto Civitan Club honored Drummond as officer of the year for his work in Patterson. He worked for Modesto police from February 1994 to August 2000. Drummond worked as a full-time patrol officer and was never assigned to work as a school resource officer. He was honored in 2003 as a distinguished faculty member at MJC. His courses at the college involved teaching students about conducting criminal investigations, which included finding evidence, interviewing victims and witnesses, and writing reports. Drummond will be arraigned Monday, September 28, at 1:30 in the Stanislaus County Courthouse.