Menlo Park man pleads not guilty to lewd acts with children
Photo: San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
MENLO PARK, Calif. (KTVU/BCN) - A 59-year-old Peninsula man associated with a local swimming pool pleaded not guilty on Monday to 20 counts of sexual assault charges involving children. The accusations date as far back as the 1980's, San Mateo County prosecutors said.
Randolph Haldeman was initially arrested in July. He was released after posting bail. But the sheriff's office then re-arrested him last month on a $5 million warrant, after additional victims came forward, according to prosecutors.
Haldeman worked at the Ladera Recreation Center in Portola Valley. His attorney said he was an "unofficial team photographer" at local swim competitions and would distribute videos and photos to families of youth swimmers.
Investigators said he also worked as a volunteer with the local chapter of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, but the non-profit has said it has no record of Haldeman working with the group.
Haldeman is charged with lewd and lascivious acts with children. 10 victims were included in the felony criminal complaint, according to the district attorney's office. The victims' ages at the time of the alleged assaults ranged from 6 to 16 years old. The accusations span from 1987 to 2015.
Defense attorney Charles Smith III said Haldeman plans to fight some of the charges.
Haldeman lives in unincorporated Menlo Park, and investigators noted, "His residence is important because many of his crimes against children happened in his home."
Investigators said they believe there are potentially more victims in this case. They encouraged anyone whose children may have had any contact with the suspect or believe they know anyone who may have been victimized, to please contact Detective Joe Fava at 650-363-4192/ jfava@smcgov.org or Detective Ron Derespini at 650-363-4055/ rderespini@smcgov.org.
Haldeman is set to return to court on Nov. 5 for a preliminary hearing. He remains in custody on $5 million bail.
Bay City News contributed to this report.