ORANGEVALE, Calif. — A man who failed to appear in court for a 2021 child molestation case is now in custody after a nearly four-hour standoff in Orangevale.
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, it started when 78-year-old Steven Kester failed to appear in court. His lawyer called for a welfare check around 9:15 a.m. Friday.
The sheriff’s office says Kester came out of a home on the 9200 block of Madison Avenue with a gun and a knife. Kester allegedly started stabbing himself before going back inside.
He was eventually detained alive around 1:15 p.m. It's unclear what injuries Kester has. People in the area were evacuated as the standoff was underway.
Kester was originally arrested in June 2021 on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14. He is a retired teacher who previously worked as a substitute teacher.
Kester was hired by the Folsom Cordova Unified School District in 1976 and retired in May 2012 and started substitute teaching in September 2012. He taught at multiple schools as a full-time teacher and as a substitute teacher. It’s unclear if any of his alleged acts were with any former students.
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