05
Case File
The case file contains 10 documents — witness statements and exhibits. Work only from these materials and from what you develop in your interviews.
CASE-FILE DOCUMENT · POLICE REPORT
Alta Mesa County Sheriff's Department — School Resource Officer Incident Report
Exhibit m18.exh.001
| |
|---|
| Report No. | AMSD-2026-04-0388 |
| Date of report | April 14, 2026 |
| Reporting deputy | Deputy Omar Haddad, School Resource Officer, Encinal Ridge High School |
| Date/time of incident | Friday, April 10, 2026, approx. 2040 hours |
| Location | Student/staff parking lot, Encinal Ridge High School, Encinal Springs |
| Classification | Vandalism / property damage — juvenile referral |
Summary
On Monday, April 14, 2026, I completed this report following the reported vandalism of school property and three private vehicles in the Encinal Ridge High School parking lot on the evening of Friday, April 10, 2026. The damage was discovered Saturday morning, April 11, by custodial staff and reported to school administration, who notified me on Monday, April 13.
Administration reviewed the parking-lot security-camera recording from the night in question. The recording is of limited quality: it depicts several figures moving among parked vehicles in low light beginning at approximately 2038 hours, but it does not clearly show which individual applied paint to which surface. Assistant Principal Gerald Corvino stated that he recognized one of the figures as student Jasmine Cordero and identified two additional students, Kayla Trejo and Andre Sotelo, as also present.
Persons present (per administration and footage review)
- Jasmine Cordero, age 16 — appeared on the recording to be holding a phone raised in a recording posture during portions of the incident.
- Kayla Trejo, age 16.
- Andre Sotelo, age 16.
Damage observed
Black and red spray paint (block lettering, initials, and a figure) on the exterior gymnasium wall. Two vehicles bore spray-paint tags. A third vehicle, a sedan registered to a staff member, bore both a spray tag and a keyed scratch running the length of the driver's side.
Statements
I was present in Assistant Principal Corvino's office on April 13 for a portion of his conversation with Jasmine Cordero, before her parent arrived. Ms. Cordero stated that she had been in the lot and had used her phone but denied applying any paint to any surface. I advised administration that the matter would be referred to Juvenile Probation and the District Attorney's juvenile unit.
Disposition
Referred to Alta Mesa County Probation and the District Attorney's juvenile unit for review. Vehicle-damage estimates requested from affected owners. No arrest made at the scene; incident reported after the fact.
/s/ Deputy O. Haddad, #4471 — Alta Mesa County Sheriff's Department
CASE-FILE DOCUMENT · WARDSHIP PETITION
Juvenile Wardship Petition
Exhibit m18.exh.002
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ALTA MESA JUVENILE DIVISION
In re J.C., a Minor.
Petition No. JV-2026-01147
PETITION TO DECLARE MINOR A WARD OF THE COURT (Welf. & Inst. Code § 602)
The People of the State of California, by the Alta Mesa County District Attorney, allege:
- The above-named minor, J.C., is a female child of the age of sixteen years, residing within the County of Alta Mesa.
- The minor comes within the description of Welfare and Institutions Code section 602 in that, on or about April 10, 2026, in the County of Alta Mesa, the minor participated in an act that, if committed by an adult, would constitute the crime of vandalism, in that school property and private motor vehicles located in the parking lot of Encinal Ridge High School were defaced and damaged.
- The amount of the damage alleged is greater than four hundred dollars ($400).
- The minor is in need of the care, treatment, and guidance of the Juvenile Court.
WHEREFORE, the People pray that the minor be adjudged a ward of the Court and that the Court make such orders as may be appropriate.
Dated: May 4, 2026
/s/ Deputy District Attorney Renata Villalobos Alta Mesa County District Attorney — Juvenile Unit
Filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court, County of Alta Mesa, Juvenile Division. First appearance calendared for May 12, 2026. Records in this proceeding are confidential and the minor is identified by initials.
CASE-FILE DOCUMENT · DIVERSION OFFER LETTER
Informal Juvenile Diversion Offer Letter
Exhibit m18.exh.003
ALTA MESA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY — JUVENILE UNIT in coordination with Alta Mesa County Probation
May 26, 2026
Ellingboe & Ravndal LLP Attn: Counsel for the minor, J.C. 310 Riverwalk Plaza, Suite 400 Norsholm
Re: In re J.C., a Minor — Petition No. JV-2026-01147 — Informal Diversion Offer
Dear Counsel:
Following review of the above matter, and considering that the minor has no prior juvenile record and is a first-time referral, this office is prepared to offer an informal diversion resolution in lieu of proceeding on the pending wardship petition. The proposed terms are as follows:
- Community service — forty (40) hours, to be completed within ninety days.
- Accountability program — completion of the county's youth accountability and decision-making class.
- Restitution — payment of the minor's apportioned share of documented property-damage restitution to the affected vehicle owners and the school district.
- School and conduct conditions — maintained enrollment, attendance, and no further law-enforcement contact during the diversion period.
Successful completion of all terms within the diversion period will result in the petition being dismissed with no adjudication and no wardship. Diversion of this kind ordinarily contemplates the minor's acknowledgment of responsibility for the underlying conduct as part of the accountability component.
If the offer is declined, or if the minor does not complete the program, the matter will proceed on the petition to a contested jurisdictional hearing.
This offer will remain open until June 19, 2026. Please advise this office of the minor's decision on or before that date.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Renata Villalobos Deputy District Attorney, Juvenile Unit
CASE-FILE DOCUMENT · VIDEO STILLS LOG
Parking-Lot Surveillance & Phone-Video Still-Frame Log
Exhibit m18.exh.004
Descriptive log prepared from (a) the school's fixed parking-lot security camera and (b) references in the file to a phone recording. No enhancement was performed; frames are described as they appear.
Part A — School security camera (Camera 3, north lot)
| Frame | Time (approx.) | Description |
|---|
| A-01 | 20:38:12 | Three figures enter frame from the walkway toward the gym wall. Low light; faces not distinguishable. Sodium lamp casts orange tint. |
| A-02 | 20:38:55 | Two figures near the gym wall; arm motion consistent with reaching upward. A third figure stands apart, one arm raised holding a small rectangular object (consistent with a phone held in recording position). |
| A-03 | 20:39:40 | Two figures move along the row of parked cars. The standing/recording figure remains near the wall, object still raised. |
| A-04 | 20:40:30 | One figure crouches at the driver's side of a sedan for several seconds. The image does not resolve what the figure is doing. |
| A-05 | 20:41:15 | All three figures move off-frame toward the east exit. No further activity recorded. |
Analyst note: The camera does not resolve which individual applied paint to which surface, nor whether the crouching figure at A-04 caused the keyed scratch. The figure holding the raised object at A-02/A-03 does not appear to approach the wall or the vehicles.
Part B — Phone recording (referenced, not produced)
The file reflects that one participant recorded a portion of the incident on a personal phone. That recording has not been produced and is not part of this log. Its existence, content, and location are unconfirmed from the materials reviewed here; it is noted only because the security footage at A-02/A-03 shows a figure in a recording posture.
Log prepared for file purposes; not a forensic examination.
CASE-FILE DOCUMENT · PROPERTY DAMAGE ESTIMATE
Property Damage & Repair Estimate Summary
Exhibit m18.exh.005
Summary compiled from owner-provided estimates and the school district facilities office. Amounts are estimates for the file; final restitution figures would be documented separately.
| Item | Owner / custodian | Damage | Estimated repair |
|---|
| Vehicle 1 — compact hatchback | Student family (name withheld) | Spray-paint tag, passenger-side door | $520 |
| Vehicle 2 — pickup truck | Community member | Spray-paint tag, tailgate | $610 |
| Vehicle 3 — sedan | Priyanka Sundaram (teacher) | Spray-paint tag and keyed scratch, full driver's side | $1,340 |
| Gymnasium exterior wall | Encinal Ridge H.S. / school district | Black and red spray paint; pressure-wash and repaint of affected section | $380 |
| Total | | | $2,850 |
Notes
- The sedan (Vehicle 3) accounts for the largest single figure because it sustained both a spray tag and a keyed scratch requiring repainting of the full driver's side.
- Ms. Sundaram has indicated to the school and to the District Attorney's office that she expects full restitution for her vehicle.
- The school district's facilities office completed the wall cleanup the week of April 14 and provided the $380 figure from its work order.
- No estimate reflects betterment, deductibles, or insurance offsets; these are the gross repair figures as submitted.
CASE-FILE DOCUMENT · PRIOR DISCIPLINE REFERRAL
Prior School Dress-Code Disciplinary Referral
Exhibit m18.exh.006
Encinal Ridge High School student conduct record excerpt, provided by the family. Reproduced for context regarding the relationship between the student and the assistant principal.
ENCINAL RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL — STUDENT CONDUCT RECORD (EXCERPT)
Student: Cordero, Jasmine — Grade 10 Referral date: February 11, 2026 Referring administrator: G. Corvino, Assistant Principal Category: Dress-code — administrative referral
Administrator entry: Student sent to office for dress-code non-compliance (graphic tee shirt and head covering). Student disputed the citation as inconsistent with how the policy is applied to other students and became argumentative. No detention assigned; verbal warning issued.
Student / parent response on file: On February 18, 2026, the student submitted a written complaint to the district office asserting that the dress code had been enforced unfairly and selectively against her, specifically regarding the head covering. The complaint requested review of the enforcement practice.
Resolution: District office acknowledged the complaint; no formal finding is recorded in this excerpt. No further dress-code referrals appear for this student.
Note for the file: This referral predates the April 10 incident by two months. The student maintains that this earlier dispute is the reason she was pulled from class first on April 13, ahead of the other two students identified.
CASE-FILE DOCUMENT · TEXT THREAD EXCERPT
Group-Chat Text Message Excerpt
Exhibit m18.exh.007
Excerpt from a group message thread provided by the family, reflecting messages from the evening of Thursday, April 9, 2026 (the night before the incident) and the afternoon of Friday, April 10. Names shown as they appear in the thread. Timestamps as displayed on the device.
Thread: "the crew" — participants: Jaz, Kayla T., Andre S.
Thu 9:42 PM — Andre S.: game tmrw night who's going Thu 9:43 PM — Kayla T.: me obv Thu 9:44 PM — Jaz: yeah i'll be there. after we should do something not just go home lol Thu 9:46 PM — Andre S.: bet. i got an idea 👀 Thu 9:51 PM — Kayla T.: what idea Thu 9:52 PM — Andre S.: you'll see Fri 3:14 PM — Kayla T.: still on for tonight? Fri 3:15 PM — Jaz: ya Fri 3:20 PM — Andre S.: bring nothing i got the stuff
Note for the file: The thread as produced contains a visible gap between the Thursday 9:44 PM message and the 9:46 PM message, and family members recall additional messages in the thread that do not appear in this export. The completeness of the export has not been verified. Whether any messages were deleted, and by whom, is not established by this exhibit.
CASE FILE · WITNESS STATEMENT CORVINO
Witness Statement — Gerald Corvino, Assistant Principal
Witness m18.wit.corvino
Statement given to Alta Mesa County Probation intake, April 21, 2026. Recorded and summarized in the witness's own words.
My name is Gerald Corvino. I am an assistant principal at Encinal Ridge High School and I have worked at the school for eleven years. Part of my job is student discipline and campus safety.
On Saturday morning, April 11, our head custodian called me at home to say the north parking lot and the gym wall had been vandalized overnight — paint on the wall and on some cars, and one car scratched up pretty badly. We had a home basketball game Friday night, so there were a lot of people coming and going until maybe nine.
On Monday I pulled the security footage with our resource officer. The video is not great — it's dark and grainy — but I could make out three kids. I recognized Jasmine Cordero right away. I've dealt with Jasmine before, so I know her. I identified the other two as Kayla Trejo and Andre Sotelo.
I called Jasmine down to my office Monday to ask her about it. I want to be clear that I asked her first because she was the one I recognized first on the video, not for any other reason. Deputy Haddad stepped in for part of the conversation. Jasmine told me she'd been in the lot and had her phone out, but she said she didn't spray anything. Her mother came in later that day.
I'll be honest that Jasmine and I have had friction. She filed a complaint about me back in February over a dress-code call. I stand by how I handled that, but I know she feels I have it out for her. I don't. I recognized her on the tape, and that's why her name came up first. On the video, the one I believe is Jasmine is standing back holding something up — it looks like she's recording — while the other two are up at the wall and the cars.
That's what I know.
Statement of Gerald Corvino.
CASE FILE · WITNESS STATEMENT VILLAREAL
Witness Statement — Tomás Villareal, Student
Witness m18.wit.villareal
Statement given to defense investigator, April 29, 2026. Recorded and summarized in the witness's own words.
I'm Tomás Villareal. I'm a junior at Encinal Ridge. I know Jasmine a little from around school, not close friends, just people who say hi.
Friday night I was at the basketball game and afterward I was out in the north lot waiting for my ride. My cousin was late so I was just standing by the fence on my phone for a while, maybe fifteen minutes. That's how I saw what happened.
There were three of them over by the gym wall and the cars. Two of them were the ones doing the painting — a guy and a girl. The guy, I'm pretty sure that was Andre. He's in my chem class. He did the wall and then he went down the row of cars. I saw him at a silver car, the teacher's car I think, and he was down low at the door for a while, dragging something. It looked like he was scratching it up on purpose, not just tagging it. He was mad about something, he was saying stuff.
Jasmine was there but she wasn't painting. She had her phone up the whole time, like she was filming them. She was kind of laughing and talking but she never went up to the wall or the cars that I saw. She stayed back.
I didn't say anything that night because honestly I didn't want to get in the middle of it, and I left when my cousin got there. But when I heard Jasmine was the one they pulled in first, that didn't sit right with me, because she's the one who wasn't actually doing it. That's why I'm telling you now.
Statement of Tomás Villareal.
CASE FILE · WITNESS STATEMENT SUNDARAM
Witness Statement — Priyanka Sundaram, Teacher
Witness m18.wit.sundaram
Statement given to Alta Mesa County Probation intake, April 22, 2026. Recorded and summarized in the witness's own words.
My name is Priyanka Sundaram. I teach chemistry at Encinal Ridge High School. I've been there six years.
I was at the game Friday night and left around a quarter to nine. My car was fine when I left — I would have noticed. I got the call Saturday that my car had been vandalized in the lot. When I went in to see it, there was spray paint on the passenger side and a long scratch keyed all the way down the driver's side, front fender to the back door. The scratch is the worse part. The estimate to repaint that whole side and fix it came to over thirteen hundred dollars.
I did not see who did it. I wasn't there when it happened. But I'll say this: I've had a difficult student this year, Andre Sotelo. He was failing my class and we'd had some words about it, and about a grade he wanted changed. I'm not accusing anyone of anything I didn't see. I'm just telling you there was tension there, and it crossed my mind when I saw my car.
I want to be made whole for the damage. That car is how I get to work. Whoever is responsible, or their families, I think should have to pay for the repair. I understand these are kids and I'm not trying to ruin anyone's life, but somebody keyed my car on purpose and I'm out the money until it's fixed.
Statement of Priyanka Sundaram.
06
Procedural & Factual History
On the evening of Friday, April 10, 2026, after a home basketball game, an incident occurred in the parking lot at Encinal Ridge High School in Encinal Springs, County of Alta Mesa. Two teenagers spray-painted the gymnasium wall and two vehicles, and a third vehicle — a teacher's sedan — was also keyed down the driver's side. Sixteen-year-old Jasmine Cordero was in the lot with the two friends, Kayla Trejo and Andre Sotelo; Jasmine says she was filming on her phone and never applied paint or scratched anything. The damage was discovered Saturday morning, April 11. On Monday, April 13, Assistant Principal Gerald Corvino reviewed dim security footage, said he recognized Jasmine, and pulled her from class first; he and the School Resource Officer, Deputy Omar Haddad, questioned her in his office before her mother arrived. Deputy Haddad completed an incident report dated April 14 and referred the matter to Probation and the District Attorney's juvenile unit. On May 4, 2026, the District Attorney filed a wardship petition captioned In re J.C., a Minor, alleging conduct that would be vandalism if committed by an adult, assigned to the Juvenile Division. Jasmine appeared at her first hearing on May 12, 2026, and the allegations were denied. On May 26, 2026, the People offered an informal diversion resolution — community service, an accountability class, and restitution — that would end in dismissal with no adjudication if completed, with a decision deadline of June 19, 2026. Kayla Trejo has been charged separately and is represented by the county public defender; Andre Sotelo has also been charged separately.
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BUSINESS EXHIBIT · ENGAGEMENT LETTER
Engagement Letter
Ellingboe & Ravndal LLP 310 Riverwalk Plaza, Suite 400, Norsholm
April 21, 2026
Ms. Ana Cordero 2216 Alameda Court, Apt. 5 Encinal Springs, CA 93610
Re: Representation of Jasmine Cordero (a minor) — Juvenile Division matter, In re J.C.
Dear Ms. Cordero:
Thank you for entrusting our firm with the representation of your daughter, Jasmine. This letter sets out the terms of our engagement.
Scope of representation. We will represent Jasmine as juvenile defense counsel in the wardship petition now pending in the Juvenile Division of the Superior Court of California, County of Alta Mesa, arising from the April 10, 2026 incident at Encinal Ridge High School. Our work includes reviewing the case file, investigating and developing the facts, appearing at hearings, evaluating and negotiating the informal diversion offer, advising on whether to accept diversion or contest the petition at a jurisdictional hearing, and counseling you and Jasmine through the decision. Because Jasmine is a minor, our client is Jasmine, and you are engaging us on her behalf and participating as her parent; we will explain below how confidentiality works in that arrangement.
Fees. Our fees are charged on an hourly basis. The senior attorney's rate is $250 per hour and the associate attorney's rate is $225 per hour; paralegal time, if any, is billed at $120 per hour. We record time in tenth-of-an-hour increments. We will bill monthly, and each statement will itemize the work performed. You have made an initial payment toward fees, which will be credited on your first statement.
Costs. Out-of-pocket costs — such as records requests and copying — are billed at cost in addition to fees.
Confidentiality. Communications between Jasmine and the firm are protected. We will discuss with you how information is shared within the family, and we will keep Jasmine's confidences consistent with our duties to her as our client and with her best interests.
Your role. We ask that you and Jasmine keep us promptly informed, provide documents we request, and avoid discussing the matter with the school, the other students involved, or anyone from the District Attorney's office without first speaking with us.
Please sign below to confirm your agreement. We are glad to help, and we will do everything we can to protect Jasmine's future.
Sincerely,
Amara Ellingboe Ellingboe & Ravndal LLP
Ana Cordero — Parent/Guardian of Jasmine Cordero Date: ____________
BUSINESS EXHIBIT · INTAKE & CONFLICTS
Intake (2026-04-20). Represent a 16-year-old in a Juvenile Division wardship petition (Welf. & Inst. Code § 602) alleging vandalism arising from an April 10, 2026 parking-lot incident at Encinal Ridge High School; evaluate an informal diversion offer against a contested jurisdictional hearing.
Conflicts check (2026-04-20) — CLEAR. No current or former firm client appears among the parties or witnesses. The firm does not and will not represent the separately charged co-participants, Kayla Trejo (represented by the public defender) or Andre Sotelo; noted to avoid any adverse-representation issue and the Rule 4.2 no-contact constraint as to Kayla.
BUSINESS EXHIBIT · BILLING STATEMENT (10 TIME ENTRIES)
| Date | TK | Narrative | Hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|
| 2026-04-20 | FIRM-TK-01 | Initial intake interview with Jasmine and Ana Cordero; preliminary case assessment; conflicts screen. | 1.6 | $250 | $400.00 |
| 2026-04-21 | FIRM-TK-02 | Draft engagement letter; open matter file; calendar first appearance and key deadlines. | 0.7 | $225 | $157.50 |
| 2026-04-24 | FIRM-TK-01 | Review SRO incident report, surveillance/phone-video still-frame log, and prior dress-code referral; issue-spot vandalism participation and identification questions; note evidentiary gaps. | 2.1 | $250 | $525.00 |
| 2026-04-29 | FIRM-TK-02 | Interview student eyewitness (T. Villareal); memo to file on attribution of keying to co-participant. | 1.1 | $225 | $247.50 |
| 2026-05-12 | FIRM-TK-01 | Appear at first hearing in Juvenile Division; deny allegations on behalf of the minor; obtain scheduling order. | 1.4 | $250 | $350.00 |
| 2026-05-18 | FIRM-TK-02 | Obtain school disciplinary and attendance records; confer with school regarding character and dispositional supports. | 0.9 | $225 | $202.50 |
| 2026-05-27 | FIRM-TK-01 | Negotiation call with Deputy District Attorney regarding diversion terms and apportioned restitution given disputed role. | 1.3 | $250 | $325.00 |
| 2026-06-03 | FIRM-TK-01 | Client counseling session with Jasmine and Ana Cordero: diversion offer versus contested jurisdictional hearing; risks and priorities. | 1.2 | $250 | $300.00 |
| 2026-06-10 | FIRM-TK-02 | Draft strategic settlement-and-negotiation plan memo; outline restitution and responsibility-acknowledgment position. | 0.8 | $225 | $180.00 |
| 2026-06-16 | FIRM-TK-01 | Professional-responsibility analysis memo: Rule 4.2 as to represented co-participant; confidentiality and school-questioning issues. | 0.6 | $250 | $150.00 |
| Total | | | 11.7 | | $2,837.50 |
BUSINESS EXHIBIT · INVOICES
| Invoice | Date | Fees | Expenses | Paid | Balance |
|---|
| m18.inv.001 | 2026-06-01 | $2,207.50 | $55.00 | $1,500.00 | $762.50 |
| m18.inv.002 | 2026-06-30 | $630.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $630.00 |
Instructor materials (master fact pattern, teaching notes, answer
guidance) are maintained separately and are not part of the student packet.
FACULTY PORTAL · COMING SOON