E. Wyatt Mendel calls on YCS to give the public an answer about bus footage sent to YPD

Community member E. Wyatt Mendel has frequented the podium during the community comment portion of Yelm Community Schools (YCS) Board of Director meetings, and did such once again on Thursday, Oct. 22.

At the podium, Mendel said in April of 2024, YCS provided footage from a school bus to Yelm Police Department in relation to James Ruiz, who was arrested on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in collaboration with Yelm Police Department (YPD).

The bus driver driver, Ruiz, was arrested on charges of first-degree child molestation, first-degree rape of a child and first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Mendel claimed he has asked the school district for the footage they provided to YPD through a public records request, which the district has not yet produced as of the meeting on Thursday, Oct. 22.

“I’m asking you to find out why. According to the police report, officers contacted the Yelm school bus garage and requested a video from April 10 to 12, and watched it,” Mendel said. “The district has that footage. Either it still exists and should be produced, or it was not kept after the police investigation into the bus driver who was later arrested.”

Either way, Mendel said, the public and local community deserves an answer as to what happened in the footage sent to YPD.
Additionally, Mendel said the district’s own notes claim there’s no video saved from the Jan. 2024 complaint about the same driver.
Mendel added that he planned to attend the Thurston County Superior Court before Judge Christine Schaller for the hearing in Jane Doe vs. Yelm Community Schools — which was set for Friday, Oct. 23. He claimed this hearing arose from one of his public records requests.

“I also want to correct something I’ve heard more than once,” Mendel said. “That because reports about a former bus driver came in around the weekend, the delay was less serious. Concerns about James Ruiz were raised as early as January 2024. In April, students reported that Ruiz was touching girls inappropriately. Administrators had that report by Friday morning and placed him on leave that same day. Yet, police were not contacted until five days later.”

He added, under RCW 26.44.030, that school employees must report suspected abuse at the first opportunity, and no less than 48-hours after suspecting it.

Mendel noted that law enforcement makes no exception for weekends, and added that Child Protective Services (CPS) and police take reports 24-hours a day.

“That was not a weekend problem,” Mendel said. “It was a failure to follow the law.”

Lastly, Mendel reminded YCS that Tony Taylor has offered his podcast platform for the district to utilize as the levy approaches. He encouraged the district to accept the invitation.

“Out of respect for the levy, I have held back on some things,” Mendel said. “Once the vote is over, I will be taking a closer look at the roles individuals played and administrators played in these failures. That includes the case of a former teacher whose certificate was revoked by OSPI after selling weed vapes to students.”

Mendel added he’ll be bringing these issues forward to the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s office.