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Tutor arrested on child molestation charges
• Former Menlo Park City School District employee resigned last month.

by Sandy Brundage

A former Menlo Park City School District employee was arraigned Friday on 12 counts of child molestation.

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.

According to the district attorney's office, the girl's father found hundreds of late-night text messages allegedly sent to the girl by Mr. Chu, who was also tutoring the child. He sent her photos of naked men and asked for nude photos of her, but the victim didn't cooperate, the district attorney's report stated.

In an advisory sent to parents Friday, the school district said Mr. Chu resigned his position on March 2 during a disciplinary investigation into unrelated misconduct after working as a computer technician for three-and-a-half years.

Superintendent Ken Ranella described Mr. Chu's duties as assisting staff at the Teacher Educational Resource Center, and Encinal and Laurel Elementary schools.

"(Computer technicians) are not assigned duties that would require them to be alone with children without the presence of a credentialed teacher," he wrote in the advisory, and noted that the suspect had no criminal record before or during his employment with the district.

The 10-year-old victim was not a student in the school district, according to the advisory.

Mr. Chu remains in custody on $250,000 bail after a judge denied his defense attorney's request to lower the amount. He's expected to enter a plea in San Mateo County Superior Court on April 7.

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.