A 31-year-old athletic trainer at a San Jose high school is behind bars after police say a 16-year-old student told officers he sexually assaulted her while treating a sports injury and recorded the attack on his cellphone. Kelvin Chiu was arrested in Fremont on October 9, a day after the student came forward, and investigators say they later found child sexual abuse material on his phone.
San Jose police said officers responded the evening before, Oct. 8 at 7:29 p.m., to a report of a sexual battery at a school in the 5000 block of Mitty Way, according to KRON4. That address is the location of Archbishop Mitty High School, where Chiu worked as an athletic trainer. Responding officers spoke with the 16-year-old girl, who told them the suspect was caring for her sports-related injury when he sexually assaulted her and recorded the incident.
Task Force Moves Fast, Makes Arrest Within a Day
The report triggered an immediate response from the SJPD Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which launched an investigation the same night. Detectives obtained a search warrant covering Chiu, his residence and his vehicles, and the following day, Oct. 9, they served that warrant at his home while other officers tracked him down in Fremont and took him into custody.
During the search, investigators said they found child sexual abuse material on Chiu's phone, adding a second layer of alleged criminality to the case beyond the initial assault report. Chiu was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on allegations tied to molesting a minor, producing and possessing child sexual abuse material, and sexual battery. Under California law, bail, charges, warrants, holds, an initial court date and a projected release date are among the booking details the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office may release publicly for someone in custody.
School Cooperating as Detectives Weigh Additional Victims
Administrators at the school where Chiu worked were notified of the allegations and are cooperating with the police investigation, officers said. Detectives believe there may be additional victims given Chiu's position of trust at the school, though no further victims have been confirmed. San Jose police have asked anyone with information to contact the department.
Cases involving school staff accused of exploiting access to student-athletes have surfaced elsewhere in California in recent years. An athletic trainer who worked at two Los Angeles high schools was charged with sexually assaulting 10 students, according to KCRA, and another Los Angeles-area school trainer, Richard Alexander Turner, was sentenced to 36 years in prison after pleading no contest to charges stemming from allegations he assaulted 12 teenage girls, per the Los Angeles Times.
Scope of the Problem in California Schools
The Chiu case lands amid broader scrutiny of educator sexual misconduct statewide. More than 3,000 educators nationwide have been arrested since 2017 following allegations of sexual misconduct involving students, and California's Commission on Teacher Credentialing has opened more than 1,300 investigations of its own over that same period, according to reporting from CalMatters. The outlet also cites U.S. Education Department data suggesting roughly one in 10 children is targeted for grooming at some point during their K-12 education.
The investigation into Chiu remains active, and the extent of any additional allegations has not been established. San Jose police have not released further details about Chiu's custody status or upcoming court proceedings.
