Boys & Girls Clubs Of Marin, Petaluma Address Child Porn Arrest Of Director

MARIN COUNTY, CA -- The CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Petaluma wrote a letter to the community this week after the director of its after-school program in Petaluma was arrested on suspicion of posting a 6-year-old girl's photo and her personal information on an internet child pornography chat room.

Benjamin Goerke, 22, of Rohnert Park, was charged Friday in Sonoma County Superior Court with felony child endangerment and possession of child pornography.

Goerke is also charged with unlawful taking of personal information from a data base, Deputy District Attorney Jason Riehl said Friday morning. Riehl said Goerke faces a state prison term if convicted. Goerke was ordered to not contact the alleged victim.

Rohnert Park police arrested Goerke on Monday; he posted bail and was released from the Sonoma County Jail.

On Friday, Goerke did not enter a plea and will return to court May 18. He told the court he intends to hire a private attorney.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Petaluma said Goerke has been placed on leave. Goerke was hired in 2014 and has been the program director of the after-school program at the Cinnabar School since January, the organization said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security informed the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety on March 29 that the girl's photo and personal information were posted on the internet site where images of child pornography are shared and arrangements are made to have the children available for molestation, Rohnert Park police said.

The girl's parents confirmed the girl's posted name, Petaluma address and phone number were correct and that her photo was taken at an after-school program at a Boys & Girls Club in the Petaluma area, police said.

The IP address of the user who posted the photo and information was traced to Goerke's residence on East Cotati Avenue in Rohnert Park, police said.

Police got a $50,000 arrest warrant for child endangerment and arrested Goerke at the after-school program on Monday. Police said they searched his home and took electronics that access the internet.

Goerke admitted taking non-pornographic photos of the girl with his cellphone and accessing her personal information remotely through the Boys & Girls Club's network, Rohnert Park police Cmdr. Aaron Johnson said.

Goerke was subject to multiple background checks, Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Petaluma CEO David Jackson said in a "letter to the community" Tuesday.

Affiliated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Petaluma manages eight clubhouses in Petaluma, along with five in Marin: Marin City, San Rafael, Novato and Corte Madera.

"We are deeply concerned by this news, and are taking this situation very seriously," Jackson wrote. "The safety and well-being of your children is our absolute top priority, and while we have no indication that any of our members have been directly harmed, we do know to date personal information was compromised and released regarding one child. At this time, BGCMP has taken precautionary measures to remove the employee from all Clubs within our organization. All access to Club files, property, etc. have been removed from said employee. We are working with the local authorities to ensure we provide them with all the information they need to conduct their ongoing investigation.

"As with any potential employee or volunteer at our Clubs, the employee was subject to multiple background checks. Our organization does not tolerate any inappropriate or illegal activity on the part of any Club staff, volunteer, or youth member.

"In spite of these developments, I am confident that our clubs are the safest place for local youth."

By Maggie Avants and Bay City News Service