A man who worked in the after-school program at King Middle School was arrested Thursday morning in connection with a child pornography investigation by the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office.
El Sobrante resident Muhammad Yousuf Khan, 21, was arrested at 8 a.m. Thursday in El Sobrante on suspicion of possessing and distributing child pornography, according to online jail records. Bail was set at $100,000.
Authorities began their investigation after receiving information from the Contra Costa County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, said Jimmy Lee, the sheriff’s office spokesperson. The investigation was conducted by the county’s high-tech crimes unit, Lee said.
Khan worked in the after-school program at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and briefly at Thousand Oaks Elementary through an agency called Elevo Learning, which provides sports-based education for kids, according to an email from BUSD Superintendent Brent Stephens. BUSD signed a contract with Elevo, formerly known as Sports for Learning, on March 10, 2021, and renewed the contract for the current academic year this fall.
Through Elevo, Khan also worked at Anna Yates Elementary in Emeryville, according to the sheriff’s office.
Berkeley Unified and Emeryville Unified were both told by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office that there was no evidence students in either district were victims of child pornography.
Lee declined to provide additional details regarding how many images were in Khan’s possession or other aspects of the investigation.
Stephens wrote in an email to the Martin Luther King and Thousand Oaks school communities that Khan worked with children exclusively outdoors. At Thousand Oaks, Khan supervised children alongside BUSD staff during lunch and other outdoor activities.
Stephens wrote that Khan was never alone with children since he was always scheduled to support other BUSD staff members. Principals at the two Berkeley schools confirmed that he was “never alone with a student,” according to Stephens’ emails.
An inspector who works for Contra Costa County’s District Attorney’s Office told BUSD that Khan had no prior criminal history before his arrest Thursday, according to Stephens’ email. Elevo told BUSD that it conducted a fingerprint background check, a requirement for all individuals employed by outside agencies who work with students at Berkeley Unified.
Khan’s last day working at Berkeley schools was Wednesday, Feb. 9, according to Stephens’ email. (Khan was also fired from Emeryville Unified, according to a letter from Emeryville Superintendent Quiauna Scott, as reported by community news website The E’ville Eye.)
Khan was released from Martinez Detention Facility on Friday, online jail records show. Because he is no longer in custody, no information was immediately available regarding when he may appear in court.
