Parolee ID’d after being arrested at Coachella elementary school

Valley View Elementary School in Coachella was placed on a 10-minute lock-down Thursday after a parolee, who was running from a sheriff’s deputy at the time, entered a classroom at about 2 p.m., Deputy Armando Munoz said.

According to Deputy Munoz, the chase began around Harrison Street and Calle Zamora. That’s where the deputy spotted the suspect, who was being sought for a narcotics violation.

The parolee apparently entered the classroom and a teacher told him he couldn’t be there. He left the classroom and deputies arrested him in the quad area of the school’s campus, authorities said.

Juan Mendiola, a 21-year-old man from Coachella, was arrested on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia and a parole violation and was booked at the Riverside County Jail in Indio. Jail record show he’s facing a felony charge of violating his parole.

The school was locked down for about 10 minutes as a precaution and deputies arrested Mendiola without incident. Nobody was injured.

Mendiola is being held on no bail and is due in court at the Larson Justice Center on April 22.