Janitor Pleads No Contest to Molesting Girls

A janitor at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Glendale pleaded no contest to charges that he molested two female students at the school.

Ralph M. Camden, 66, was arrested Feb. 2, hours after he was accused of fondling the third-graders in his office during lunchtime, authorities said. He was charged with two counts of engaging in lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor.

Camden has been free on $3,500 bail since Feb. 16. He originally pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor molestation charges but changed his plea Wednesday, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeanie Behling.

Police who searched Camden’s Los Angeles apartment after his arrest reported that they found so much pornography officers could not fit it in one police car.

According to police reports, Camden had befriended the girls, aged 8 and 9, often playing word games with them. On Feb. 2, the girls told police, Camden asked them to sit on his lap while they were playing. The girls said Camden then fondled them. They also said he had fondled them on several occasions before they reported his actions to school authorities.

Camden is scheduled to be sentenced April 25 in Glendale Municipal Court. He faces up to two years in jail and $2,000 in fines, Behling said. Camden resigned from his job Thursday.