Child Molestation Inquiry Widens at Point Mugu

Federal investigators broadened the scope of their child molestation probe at the Point Mugu Navy base Tuesday, with the number of possible victims now higher than the sole claim of abuse levied late last month, a base spokesman said.

The nearly 2-week-old investigation is branching beyond a preschool center to a separate after-school facility for older children and to homes where the suspect provided private baby-sitting for base employees.

“The scope has expanded,” base spokesman Alan Alpers said. “We don’t know the numbers. That’s what we’re trying to figure out. We’re trying to keep the hysteria from parents down so we can keep to the core of the investigation.”

The suspect, who has been placed on paid leave since an allegation of child molestation was made by a toddler on March 21, is a civilian employee of the Point Mugu base. He has not been arrested or charged with any criminal acts and his named has not been released.

In addition to preschoolers--between 6 weeks and 5 years old--at the Child Development Center, the probe has widened to include children at the Youth Activity Center, an after-school center about five blocks away for youths between 5 and 12 years old, Alpers said.

“We have reason to believe that people at the Youth Activity Center may have been in contact with the suspect,” Alpers said.

The suspect, who lives off-base and whom officials said has worked at Point Mugu for several years, was the subject of standard background checks when he was hired for his position at the base.

“Nothing showed up in the background check,” Alpers said.

The Navy pays a fee to each state where a job candidate lists a former residence over the past 10 years. State investigators then look for any criminal history based on name, age and other information, Alpers said.

The ongoing investigation at Point Mugu is being conducted by a multi-agency task force made up of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office.

The task force assembled a team of 40 child psychologists and investigators over the weekend to interview and physically examine children who may have been in contact with the suspect. They are also monitoring the children’s behavior and mood for any signs of trauma.

“We’re very interested in getting as untainted information as we can from those being interviewed,” Alpers said. “This is the first time we’ve dealt with this sort of situation.”

FBI Special Agent Gary Auer declined to confirm or deny the investigation and had no comment about the Navy disclosure made Tuesday.

Officials at the Navy’s Child Advocacy Response Team, a panel of experts brought in from San Diego to assist in the probe, have answered hundreds of phone calls to a hotline set up to ease parents’ concerns, Alpers said.

Investigators and child-abuse specialists late Monday conducted the second meeting in as many weeks, answering questions for scores of worried and frightened parents. Monday’s meeting focused on those older children enrolled in the Youth Activity Center.

“There was not as much anxiety as the first meeting. Primarily because the press had already gotten the word out,” Alpers said. About 60 parents turned out for the briefing, he said.

Both the Child Development Center and the Youth Activity Center were reopened Tuesday, after being closed Friday and Monday.

The expansion of the investigation came Tuesday as dozens of parents brought their children back to the two day-care centers.

“The mood is fine and people are back,” Alpers said. “We had some people from the child-advocacy team out talking to the caregivers and to some of the children, but the children are out playing and enjoying the sunshine.”

Most of the approximately 85 children at the Child Development Center returned Tuesday morning. But the parents of eight children chose not to return their children to the facility.

The majority of 5- to 12-year-olds, who number about 100, also returned Tuesday to the Youth Activity Center, Alpers said.

Employees said despite the extent of the investigation, most of the parents remain supportive of the day-care center.

The consensus of the parents, said one day-care worker, “is that the caregiver has been removed and they’re comfortable bringing their children back. But there have been some exceptions.”