From Stan Oklobdzija:
San Juan Unified School District has placed a janitor on administrative leave Monday after district officials learned he is facing two felony and one misdemeanor sex crime charges.
District officials would not confirm that Michael Phillips, 51, was placed on leave because of the charges, citing restrictions of discussing personnel matters.
District spokesman Trent Allen said the district learned of the charges against Phillips on May 15 when contacted by The Bee. Phillips was arrested April 6 and arraigned two days later. He has regularly been showing up for work, Allen said.
Until a few weeks ago when he was transferred to district headquarters because of an unrelated medical matter, Allen said Phillips had worked at several of the district's schools.
Both of his two victims are adults, and neither is connected to San Juan Unified or its schools.
Phillips is accused of attempting to rape a woman who was walking home from work March 30, said Sgt. Janet Schaefer of the Citrus Heights Police Department. She was walking home from work near Sunrise Boulevard and Pebble Beach Drive at about 11 p.m. when Phillips allegedly grabbed her from behind and fondled her, Schaefer said.
The woman managed to escape and provided a description to police, Schaefer said. Based on that description, Phillips was arrested at his Citrus Heights home April 6, she said. The description also connected Phillips to a January incident in which he allegedly exposed himself to an employee at a store on Greenback Lane, she said.
Phillips faces two felonies and one misdemeanor charge for the two incidents, court records show.
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