UPDATE: Bail Raised To $12 Million For Accused Esparto Child Molester
WOODLAND (CBS13) — A judge Thursday raised the bail for a foster parent and coach accused of molesting a child to $12 million bond after new allegations were revealed in the criminal complaint, including a second victim of child abuse.
Cristan James Rooms, 29, of Esparto made his first appearance in a Yolo County Court in Woodland. He's accused of sexually assaulting a boy under 14 whom he mentored and coached in soccer and bowling.
According to court documents, the abuses happened between 2007 and 2011. Rooms is now facing 48 counts of felony child molestation and six misdemeanor chargers of abusing or endangering the welfare of a child.
The charges in the 18-page criminal complaint allege that he showered with a victim numerous times, that he masturbated a victim to ejaculation, touched a victim's penis and buttocks outside the victim's clothes, and that he spanked a victim and gave him an enema.
Rooms, who is licensed with the state as a foster parent and coaches youth soccer in Vacaville, was arrested outside his Esparto home by the Yolo County Sheriff's Office on Monday.
Rooms was booked into th Monroe Detention Facility in Woodland, where bail was originally set at $2,750,000.
The warrant for Rooms' arrest came after a comprehensive investigation by sheriff's detectives in which it was revealed that Rooms had sexually assaulted a boy under 14 whom he was mentoring coaching in soccer and bowling, according to a press release from the sheriff's office on Wednesday.
Rooms is a youth soccer coach with the Vacaville Youth Soccer League and Soccer Nation in Vacaville. Soccer Nation officials declined to go on camera but said they are notifying coaches and parents in the league about the investigation.
The boy was not one of Rooms' foster children.
Detectives learned of the alleged abuse after a friend of Rooms came forward concerned about the nature of the relationship between the boy and the mentor.
"You know, I think it's unusual," Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto said.
Yolo County Child Welfare Services has removed a 6-year-old foster child from Rooms' custody. That boy is not believed to be one of the alleged victims.
"He didn't seem like he'd be a child molester," a neighbor, Karen Daneilson, told CBS13 on Wednesday. "I can't believe this. He seemed like a nice guy. It's bizarre to me. I'm really in shock."
Another neighbor, Thomas Cope, is 16 and lives next door to Rooms.
"Was he ever inappropriate with you in any way?" CBS13's Laure Cole asked Cope.
"No," he said.
Cope has been to the suspect's house several times to play video games and said he feels comfortable around him.
"I don't think he did it because I used to sleep over there once in a while," he said. "I could fall asleep on the couch."
But Thomas' mother, Adeladia Cope, was dismayed by the allegations.
"Oh, it's sick. It's horrible," she said Thursday. "We liked him. We respected him."
Detectives are continuing the investigation to determine if there are more victims. Anyone with additional information about Rooms or the investigation are asked to call Detective Jennifer Davis at (530) 668-5215.