Teen Arrested in Alleged Molestation at Youth Club

Sheriff’s investigators arrested a 15-year-old Moorpark boy Wednesday morning in connection with the alleged molestation of several children recently at the Moorpark Boys & Girls Club.

Because he is a minor, sheriff’s officials did not reveal the suspect’s name.

He was booked into Ventura County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of child molestation, Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Frank O’Hanlon said.

The suspect was arrested at about 8 a.m. as he started his second day as a youth volunteer assisting with the club’s summer day camp, O’Hanlon said.

Detectives spent most of Wednesday interviewing employees and other volunteers at the club on Casey Road, as well as parents and children at their homes, he said.

A witness to one of the alleged molestations mentioned it to club officials, and Director Scott Mosher notified the Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday night, O’Hanlon said.

Investigators are questioning several children as possible victims in the molestations, which allegedly took place at the club in the past several weeks, O’Hanlon said.

Sheriff’s officials believe the Moorpark youth molested at least six children. Nearly all were boys, officials said.

Mosher expressed shock at the allegations and said there was nothing in the teenager’s past that would have kept him from participating as a camp volunteer.

He said that while the club’s 18 paid adult staff members must submit to a background check, no similar checks are in place for minors who volunteer.

“We have absolutely no knowledge of anything inappropriate,” Mosher said. “I am appalled. We work so diligently to provide quality programs for kids in a positive, safe environment, and our primary concern is the safety of our kids here.”

This is the first summer the club has used youth volunteers, Mosher said. The 15-year-old in custody is one of the three youth volunteers accepted for the program. He had previously attended the club’s programs and was well-known to children and adults at the club, Mosher said.

There are 100 children between ages 6 and 14 enrolled in the summer camp programs. The club is open year-round and serves more than 1,000 children, many of whom come for its youth basketball program. The club, which relocated to Casey Road a decade ago, includes tennis courts, a gymnasium, game rooms and a library.

Wednesday afternoon, business went on as usual at the club. Children continued to laugh and play games, oblivious to the investigation.

Staff members delayed notifying parents of the arrest at the request of the Sheriff’s Department, said Capt. Bob LeMay of the Moorpark sheriff’s station.

Cmdr. Chris Godfrey, who oversees patrol services for the east valley station, said the nature of the allegations is jarring for Moorpark, a city that has prided itself for being among the safest places to live in the United States.

Last year, Moorpark had the county’s lowest crime rate per 1,000 residents.

“Nobody expects these things to occur, and when they occur in the safest city in the county these kind of allegations hit pretty hard,” Godfrey said. “If someone were to call me and want me to relieve their concern, I would say we have moved quickly and all indications are that this is an isolated case.”

Prosecutors said they will review the case and decide whether to file charges by Friday. The district attorney’s office reviews 60 to 80 cases annually in Ventura County involving teens over the age of 14 suspected of molesting children under 12, officials said.

“These cases are the most difficult and complex to handle,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Miles Weiss, supervisor of the juvenile prosecution unit.

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Times staff writer Holly J. Wolcott contributed to this story.