Citrus College’s former legislative liaison of the Associated Students of Citrus College was arrested and jailed in August on a charge of possession of child or youth pornography.
Court records state that Majin Perez was arrested on a charge of possession of child pornography. He was released last week after serving a reduced sentence.
Prior to his arrest, he withdrew from all of his fall 2026 classes and from his student government position.
Preliminary hearings lasted about five months, ending July 21, with Perez’s early disposition hearing, where he entered a no-contest plea deal. On Aug. 21, he was formally sentenced to 364 days in North County Correctional Facility.
Perez was set to be released on Feb. 9, 2027. However, he was released early on Oct. 7 due to overcrowding in the jail.
Offenders who have demonstrated good behavior during their time in detainment and have a shorter sentence are offered an early release during situations of overcrowding in the jail’s population.
In April, he was voted legislative liaison of the ASCC. That same semester, he campaigned for the role of president for the Nevada/California Region of the Phi Theta Kappa – Beta Nu Eta Chapter honor society, showing his frequent involvement in student life on campus.
During his 2026 preliminary hearings, Perez remained enrolled at Citrus College, according to Student Services. The Student Services Center provided confirmation that Perez attended Citrus during the spring 2026 semester, as well as the 2026 winter and summer sessions, but withdrew from all of his classes for the fall semester before it began.
In addition to jail time, Perez’s current sentence includes a probation revocation, restitution fine, restitution to the victim, enrolling in a sex offender management program for a minimum of one year, registering as a convicted sex offender, and not owning, using or possessing any dangerous or deadly weapon.
The sentence took effect on Aug. 21.
Perez has a criminal record going as far back as June 2021, involving two separate charges: “possession of child or youth pornography” and “possession of obscene matter of a minor in sexual act.” That resulted in Perez being sentenced to two years of formal probation.
Formal probation involves periodic monitoring by his probation officer and varies from case to case.
Perez was arrested later that year, on Sept. 2, 2021, as well as two years later on March 8, 2023, for failing to update his sex offender registration annually.
Ultimately, Perez pleaded not guilty to the complaint on April 21, 2023.
On Oct. 16 of that year, the court made no finding of a violation.
During his time in ASCC, he was in close contact with a student who is a minor, 14 years old at the time of joining and currently 15 years old. They were seen frequently on and off campus working on school-related events as well as a podcast that they jointly hosted, discussing their opinions on matters regarding Citrus College.
This court case does not state that the minor Perez was in close contact with during his time in ASCC has any relation to his most recent charge.
The Clarion granted the student and their mother anonymity to protect their privacy.
The underage student and their mother said that the school did inform them somewhat of Perez’s recent arrest but did not inform them of the 2021 charges.
“I was originally shocked,” the student said. “I feel very sad. Not just for myself, but like it’s like it gets a realization where like I was super close to Majin.
“ … He seemed like such a genuine person, like, he couldn’t do anything wrong.”
The student’s mother described herself as a “helicopter-ish” parent and said she had frequent contact with Perez whenever her child was in contact with him.
“I had his telephone number,” the student’s mother said.
Although being shocked and disappointed when learning about this information, she said she is glad that by, “the grace of God, (the student) left unharmed, which we are so thankful for.”
Under the Associated Students of Citrus College Constitution, the fourth article, section three, B states, “No student on academic probation or who has a disciplinary file may hold a position of responsibility on the ASCC Executive Board.”
“It means that the student must be in good standing at Citrus College,” Rosario Garcia, interim director of dual enrollment, previously the ASCC and Student Life adviser for spring 2026, said in an email, “that they have not violated the Citrus College standards of conduct (BP 5500 Standards of Conduct).”
There is no written policy on checking a student’s criminal history for ASCC or for the college. Garica said no background checks are done for any ASCC members.
The mother of the minor student who worked with Perez last spring disagreed with that approach.
“They should absolutely do background,” the student’s mother said. “I thought about that afterward. You want students of integrity, right?”
On April 9, the Citrus College website, under “Student Success Shaped by Mentorships,” shared Perez as a success story.
Perez was in the U.S. Navy and later faced homelessness, but “he decided to refocus and fully commit to academic pursuits,” the story said. The story also said that Perez planned on earning associate degrees for transfer in both journalism and physics by the end of the fall 2027 semester.
“Ultimately, he hopes to dedicate himself to ‘unraveling secrets’ and writing,” the story said. “‘I see myself delving into topics that require intense research and fact-checking,’ he said. ‘I want to uncover truths and cultural narratives yet untold and codify them in volumes that make a difference around the world – today and tomorrow.’”
This story was removed from Citrus College’s website, along with further imagery of him on Citrus’ Instagram account, on Sept. 29, the same day the Clarion inquired about the semesters Perez was in attendance on campus.
Perez was also working with the Clarion over the summer. On Sept. 2, the Clarion posted the story, “Snake attacks Owl: Citrus alumnus bit by rattlesnake,” written by Perez.
On Aug. 19, Perez turned in his camera and writing equipment, marking his last date of contact with the Clarion, said Patrick Schmiedt, the Clarion’s adviser.
Citrus College’s executive director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs, Lisa McPheron, said that federal and state privacy laws, which include the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, prohibit Citrus from disclosing if they had prior knowledge of Perez’s criminal history.
“As an open-access institution, Citrus College cannot deny enrollment based on past criminal convictions alone,” McPheron said in an email. “Subject to due process, admission or re-admission may be denied to any person who, while not enrolled as a student, commits acts which would, were they enrolled as a student, be the basis for student discipline.”
Under the California Penal Code Sections 290, 290.01 and 290.95, all convicted sex offenders are required to register with the police department in the jurisdiction where the offender lives and any institutions of higher learning that they attend.
“The safety and security of our community is of the utmost importance,” McPheron said in an email. “Any member of our campus community who has concerns about their safety is strongly encouraged to reach out to Citrus College’s Campus Safety Department or the vice president of student services.”
Perez has been active on social media since his release. As of Oct. 12, Student Services says that Perez is not currently taking classes for the fall 2026 semester. They also said that Perez can still enroll in future classes at the college.
