A Hopkins elementary school employee charged with sexually assaulting two students passed a pre-employment background check with the district despite convictions for illegal gun possession, drinking in public and hit-and-run driving, and he received favorable recommendations from his previous employers even after being forced to quit his job with Minneapolis schools.
David Joseph Madrigal, 54, appeared Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court on two charges of second-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the incidents at Eisenhower Elementary School on Hwy. 7. Madrigal, dressed in a black jacket, was subdued during his brief time in court, keeping his head bowed and spelling his name in a hushed voice.
Madrigal, of Minneapolis, remains jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail and ahead of a second court appearance on June 1. Messages were left with Madrigal's attorney Tuesday afternoon seeking his response to the allegations. Should he make bail, he would be under orders to have no contact with females younger than 18. Madrigal remains on leave from the district without pay.
Charges say Madrigal, who is employed as a student support specialist, sexually touched at least two students, while investigators found sex-oriented websites on his computer. Specifically, according to the charges, several female students told investigators that Madrigal would rub their shoulders, arms and thighs and lower back. He would also stare at their bodies, comment on how they looked and give them candy.
As is required for every potential employee, Madrigal was subjected to a criminal-background check before the district considered hiring him, said spokeswoman Jolene Goldade.
Madrigal was hired in 2015 for a job that calls for him to provide "individual support to students with ... behavioral concerns and needs," according to the district's job description. That includes consulting with families, teachers and administrators regarding student discipline, the description reads.
'Favorable recommendations'
After the background check was complete, it was reviewed by "our human resources staff and building and program administration," Goldade said. "If there are past offenses, the review considers the nature of the offense, how much time has passed, the nature of work being done, and employment history after the offense."
Citing state data practice laws, Goldade declined to say what the background check on Madrigal yielded or whether school officials knew of his convictions at the time he was hired.
