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A former Menlo Park City School District employee pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of child molestation and other charges in San Mateo County Superior Court on Thursday afternoon.

Yung Chi Chu, 46, was arrested by the Sheriff's Office on March 30 at his San Carlos home for allegedly molesting the 10-year-old daughter of a friend.

The district attorney's office said the girl's father found hundreds of late-night text messages allegedly sent to her by Mr. Chu, who was her tutor. He's also charged with sending the child photos of naked men and asking for nude photos of her, which the victim didn't provide, according to the district attorney's report.

The school district sent an advisory to parents on April 1 stating Mr. Chu resigned his position last month during a disciplinary investigation into unrelated misconduct after working as a computer technician for three-and-a-half years.

The 10-year-old victim was not a student within the school district, according to the advisory.
Mr. Chu was released on $250,000 bail, contrary to an earlier report from the district attorney, and has retained attorney Frank Bell, who was not immediately available for comment. The court scheduled a preliminary hearing for May 27.

The Sheriff's Office asks that anyone with information regarding this investigation contact Det. Sgt. Bryan Raffaelli at 363-4058 or the Sheriff's Office anonymous tip line at (800) 547-2700.

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