SANTA CRUZ – A federal arraignment is set next week for a former Aptos elementary school recreation director accused of colluding with a Tiburon baby sitter to gain supervisory roles to create and exchange child pornography, according to court documents.

The leadership roles, including jobs as camp counselors, teachers and baby sitters, enabled the men to facilitate thousands of illicit images and videos of children, according to documents from the FBI investigation. Illicit materials and methods were exchanged on the messaging app Kik.

Former Mar Vista Elementary School recreation director and baby sitter Ryan Michael Spencer, 19, and Bryan Petersen, 24, of Tiburon remain in U.S. Marshals Service’s custody, according to court documents.

U.S. Attorney Brian Stretch, in a motion May 3, requested the court not to release the men before trial on the presumption that “there are no conditions of release that can reasonably assure the safety of the community.”

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Marin tutor charged in federal child porn investigation “Both defendants have built their lives around seeking access to children,” Stretch wrote. “Spencer is studying to become a teacher and works as a camp counselor. Petersen is an Eagle Scout who has led overnight camping trips for young boys and he also works as a tutor and a chess coach.”

Spencer and Petersen each face one charge of possession of child pornography pending federal indictment.

“He will likely be indicted soon,” U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Abraham Simmons said of Spencer’s case. Petersen appealed his terms of jail during a recent hearing. That appeal could delay the timeline for Petersen’s proceedings, Simmons said.

Spencer and Petersen’s arraignments are scheduled 9:30 a.m. May 16 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, according to court documents.

A U.S. magistrate judge ordered the defendants’ release May 2, but the government appealed.

During hearings Tuesday in San Francisco, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Garcia succeeded in a petition for the court to order the men to remain in custody until trial. The men could have been released without such a petition or judge’s order.

THE METHOD

Spencer and Petersen allegedly generated more than 10,000 images and videos of child pornography while working as baby sitters and sharing files and information on the messaging app, Kik, Stretch wrote in his May 3 motion asking the court to uphold pretrial detention.

“Kik messages exchanged between Petersen and Spencer show that the men solicited jobs as baby sitters, camp counselors and teachers in order to gain access to children; that they sought physical contact with the children and encouraged them to remove their clothes; that they took photos of the children entrusted to their care while the children were naked; and that they shared those images with at least each other,” Stretch wrote.

An FBI search warrant was served at Petersen’s home April 26, when he admitted to having child pornography, Stretch wrote.

“Given evidence that Petersen and Spencer were actively victimizing children, the agents arrested Petersen on the spot,” Stretch wrote.

About 18 months ago, Peterson and Spencer allegedly met in Aptos for Spencer to fill a hard drive with illicit files.

“Petersen stated that Spencer’s primary source of income is from baby-sitting children and that Spencer takes photos and videos of the children when they are naked,” Stretch wrote. “Petersen noted that Spencer’s preference is for children approximately four to eight years old.”

HEINOUS CRIMES

Spencer told authorities he had experience obtaining materials from the dark web and said both men had experience in computer programming, Stretch wrote.

The motion also mentions previous allegations that Petersen had child pornography in 2013 and 2015.

When the FBI searched Spencer’s home April 27, Spencer admitted that he looked at illegal images of children, Stretch wrote. Agents seized his devices and found Kik messages about the men actively soliciting baby-sitting jobs “to have physical contact with children, to take lewd and lascivious photos of them and to share those photos with each other,” Stretch wrote.

Multiple parents who had hired Petersen as a baby sitter issued impact statements, describing suspicions of Petersen “grooming” a child for lewd acts, Stretch wrote. Another parent described a developmentally disabled child’s change in behavior after being watched by Petersen.

Spencer retained Sacramento attorney Christopher Parkhurst on April 28, according to court documents.

Public Defender Daniel Paul Blank was appointed to represent Petersen’s case.

Stretch also wrote that both men set up baby sitter profiles on care.com to solicit new clients.

“While projecting a veneer of competence and trustworthiness, both defendants committed the most heinous of crimes,” Stretch wrote.