TAMPA — A man who has worked with children for five years in Tampa through an acclaimed computer training program has been arrested in Hernando County on charges of sexual assault on a child.

Shawn Leonard Wilkinson, 42, of Weeki Wachee, who worked as a program manager with Computer Mentors Group in East Tampa, faces three counts of sexual assault by a custodian on a victim between 12 and 17. He is accused of having sex with a single victim over the course of two years.

The victim, whose identity and relationship to Wilkinson were not revealed, told deputies the stress of the abuse led to skin-cutting and thoughts of suicide, according to an arrest report.

In an Oct. 21 diary entry, according to the report, the victim wrote, "Last night I thought about getting into an accident on my way home from homecoming so I could end it all but yet here I am still."

The founder and executive director of the nonprofit Computer Mentors Group, Ralph Smith, said Wilkinson called him after the Nov. 30 arrest to inform him he had to quit. Smith, a candidate for Tampa City Council, said there is no indication that people involved in the Computer Mentors Group need to worry about the arrest.

"We reached out to all the sites where Shawn had previously worked and make everyone aware that he is no longer with the organization," Smith said. "I don't think he would have had the opportunity to have had any problems with any of the children, because the trainers always operate in pairs. He never would have been alone with any of the children."

No review of Wilkinson's history with the group is being conducted and Tampa police said they don't have Wilkinson under investigation.

Smith declined to say how many children Wilkinson has worked with through the years.

When he called, Wilkinson told Smith he had run into trouble and had to quit. Smith said he pushed Wilkinson for answers and learned "it was sexual in nature" and involved one other person.

Informed about the details Tuesday, Smith replied, "Wow."

He said he is "as shocked as anyone to receive this news, because we never saw anything like that from Shawn."

Computer Mentors Group trains about 500 children a year for 10 hours to 150 hours, helping prepare them for a career in computer science. The group is 21 years old and operates an annual budget of $1.8 million, according to its most recent federal tax filing. On its website, the group touts a list of prominent partners, including Microsoft, Tampa Electric Co., and the Children's Board of Hillsborough County.

Wilkinson, who earned about $40,000 a year, primarily worked with students in fourth to eighth grades, Smith said.

The arrest leaves Smith crestfallen, he said.

"There has never been any incident that has occurred or even a whiff of any incident that has occurred in the organization's 21 years of existence," he said.

Contact Howard Altman at haltman@tampabay.com or (813) 225-3112. Follow @haltman