A social work intern at Jamul Elementary School has been ordered to stay away from campus and not contact any students after his arrest Thursday for distributing child pornography on the internet.
Jeffrey Michael Aiken was arrested after he shared graphic videos with someone he met on social media. He later learned that the person was an investigator with Homeland Security, according to the federal complaint.
When investigators went to Aiken’s home in Santee Thursday, court documents show he waived his Miranda right to remain silent and admitted to having several thumb drives filled with videos of children engaged in sex with adults.
NBC 7 spoke with several parents as they watched their children play ball on fields near the school. Most had no idea that Aiken had been arrested.
Two mothers said they recognized Aiken from photos on the school’s Facebook page and Aiken’s LinkedIn page. They told NBC 7 he's easily recognizable because he’s the only adult male working at the school.
Aiken is in the social work masters program at Fordham University. His internship at Jamul Elementary was part of that program.
A spokesperson for the San Diego County Department of Education told NBC 7 Aiken passed a complete background check before being placed in the school.
California
The school district’s superintendent the following message out to families from the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District:
Dear Families,
At the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District our first and foremost concern is the safety of our students.
We were informed today by law enforcement of the arrest of a social work intern assigned to our district. The Jamul-Dulzura Union School District takes such claims very seriously. We are cooperating with law enforcement and the intern has been placed on leave until further notice. While he is not an employee of the district, he is now ordered to stay off school property and to have no contact with any district students. Law Enforcement has informed us that at this time they believe that there were no district students involved.
I know this is difficult, but I ask that you please refrain from conjecture or spreading rumors. Please rest assured that we will do everything possible to maintain our daily routine while supporting each other in moving forward. Our top priority is and always will be protecting and keeping our students safe. We will continue to work with law enforcement on this matter.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Liz Bystedt
Superintendent
The court declared Aiken a danger to the community, so he’ll remain in a federal jail cell until his preliminary hearing on Feb. 20.
