6-Year-Old Girl Allegedly Sexually Assaulted by YMCA Employee

MORGAN HILL – Nicolas Lhermine, 20, of Morgan Hill, has been arrested and charged for reportedly sexually assaulting a 6-year-old he was assigned to supervise at the YMCA daycare.  Officials are investigating as to whether there were additional targets.

Nicolas Lhermine, 20

Lhermine’s arrest was subsequent to the victim reporting to her parents that the subject “forced her to engage in a lewd and lascivious act” while in the care of a YMCA daycare program at Paradise Valley Elementary School, which equipped the program with space to operate within, but nothing else.  The victim’s parents notified police who notified the YMCA.

Lhermine was a daycare provider for the organization for four years.  Another investigation revealed some proof that Lhermine also sexually assaulted a teenage girl. The reported assaults manifested in his presupposed sufficiency in the daycare provider role.

Lhermine was arrested Friday, July 12 and charged with sexual acts with a child 10 years or younger and possession of child pornography.  The second charge was connected to photographs that Lhermine took of one of the reported assaults, according to Morgan Hill police Capt. Shane Pasgrove.  Detectives are investigating the likelihood of other victims.

According to Pasgrove, “We’re conducting a lot of additional interviews given that he’s been working there for four years.”

An official police press release declared that Lhermine had encroached on multiple YMCA procedures that were in tact, hindering the staff’s capacity to be alone with children.  The release also stated that the YMCA will be communicating parents of children who have been in contact with Lhermine.  Parents are advised to ask children open-ended questions connected to sexual abuse and contact police with any reports of sexual abuse, or amiss occurrences that could have led to criminal acts.

The YMCA is fully coinciding with police inquiries and is performing its own investigation.  According to Elizabeth Jordan, YMCA’s chief operating officer, “At the Y, the safety and well-being of all children in our care is our primary objective.  We are taking this matter very seriously and are cooperating fully with the Morgan Hill Police Department’s investigation of the allegation.”

YMCA employees are required to go through a California Dept. of Justice background check, and participate in training sessions such as child abuse identification and prevention and reporting.

Read more:

KSBW: Police: Morgan Hill YMCA employee sexually abused 6-year-old girl

CBS SF Bay Area:  Morgan Hill YMCA Child Care Worker Accused of Sex Act with 6-Year-Old

KTVU:  YMCA child care worker suspected of sexually abusing young girl