A Los Banos High School assistant basketball coach and substitute teacher was arrested April 13 for an out-of-state warrant accusing him of soliciting minors for sexual gratification, according to local law enforcement.
There are no reports of any victims in Los Banos, police said.
Assisting law enforcement in Missouri, the Los Banos Police Department spotted the suspect, 25-year-old Matthew Bowman, in his vehicle in town, Police Chief Ray Reyna said.
Bowman is wanted for allegedly trying to entice children into being part of his sexual pleasure.
Bowman was booked into the Los Banos Jail and is awaiting extradition to Missouri.
The Los Banos Unified School District issued a statement on the matter.
“The safety and well-being of our students remains our highest priority. The individual is no longer working in our schools. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement,” the district wrote. ‘We understand situations like this can be concerning, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all students and staff.”
The Bowman arrest marks at least the second time in three years Los Banos schools have faced a similar scenario.
Los Banos Junior High School teacher Christian Banuelos, who has since been fired, was arrested in 2024 on suspicion of possessing sexually explicit material involving children. Like with Bowman, law enforcement found no victims in Los Banos. Banuelos was indicted for child pornography by a federal grand jury last summer.
The Bowman case remains open. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Banos Police Department at 209-827-7070.
