Parents express frustration over lack of transparency after teen sexually battered on way to school

ALBANY, Calif. - A 14-year-old girl was the victim of a sexual battery as she walked to school.

Albany police released few details, and some parents said they were left in the dark by the vagueness of a brief bulletin issued by law enforcement.

"I'm like, really surprised right now because the school didn’t give us any details," Jasmine Salinas said Thursday as she came to pick up her son at Albany Middle School.

"I received an email that there was a child that had an interaction with an adult. They didn’t give any details. I had no idea," she said.

Albany police only said that a 14-year-old was the victim of a sexual battery while walking to school.

KTVU has learned that the victim was confronted by a man with a knife who asked her to show him her private area.

It happened at about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday. near the corner of Evelyn and Brighton, just a block from campus.

The girl described the attacker as a Black man about 40-50 years old, bald, with a black and gray stubble-type beard.

Albany police are treating the case as a sexual battery. The incident unsettling to neighbors and parents. 

"Anybody, you know, walking to school, you’re expecting to just walk to school and anybody approached, again without knowing the particulars, I think it’s very disturbing," said resident R.J. Pansino.

Some parents complained that the school and police weren't forthcoming with details.

"And not seeing the responsiveness nor transparency of information so our community, can keep them just generally aware," said one parent. "I feel like we’re not getting the follow-up as to what the results of the investigation are."

Albany police said Thursday that they had no new information to provide. The district superintendent was unavailable for an interview.

"Just hearing it happening in broad daylight, it always gets you, and you always think it won’t happen in your neighborhood so of course it’s concerning," said a man who wished only to be identified as Rick.

This incident happened two months after a student at Cornell Elementary, off Solano Avenue in Albany, was assaulted near that campus.

In response to both incidents, Albany police have boosted patrols near schools.