Robert Neal, 19, of Oakland, has pleaded not guilty to charges of committing a lewd act upon a child and arranging a sexual meeting with a minor. He was arrested Aug. 26, and his next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 21, according to The Mercury News, citing court records.
What authorities allege
Authorities allege that Neal met the 12-year-old through ACE Camp, where he worked for the program run by Peralta Hacienda. They say he touched her inside an AMC theater in Emeryville on July 25 and later persuaded her to engage in sexual activity by phone, according to The Mercury News.
Police said the outing was not connected to camp activities and that the girl had not told her parents she was meeting Neal. The Mercury News reported that she spoke with a friend before coming forward. Authorities also said she reported that Neal had referred to sexual contact with other people at the camp; the report provided no further details about those references.
Release conditions
Judge Roz Silvaggio released Neal from jail on Sept. 16 with an order barring him from associating with children. A separate court order prohibits him from visiting the camp or contacting the girl, The Mercury News reported. Peralta Hacienda said it was cooperating with authorities and could not comment further while the police investigation was ongoing, the report said.
In a separate Morgan Hill case, NBC Bay Area reported that a YMCA camp counselor was arrested in July over the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl. CBS San Francisco later reported that the counselor was arrested again after a third alleged victim came forward: NBC Bay Area and CBS San Francisco.
