UPDATE: SC County mental health worker pleads not guilty to charges
UPDATE 6/30/15: The Santa Cruz County mental health worker accused of sexually assaulting two children appeared in court Tuesday morning.
Christopher McCauley, 56, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and a protective order was issued for the victims.
McCauley is scheduled to appear in court again July 23.
UPDATE 6/26/15: A Santa Cruz County mental health worker accused of sexually assaulting two children bailed out of jail last week.
Christopher McCauley, 56, was being held on a $100,000 bail during his arrest. Officials said he was the point of contact for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s School Emergency Response Mental Health Team.
Investigators said they’re not sure how much interaction he had with students on campus, but that he knew at least one of his victims.
“We had a couple victims come forward so we conducted an investigation that is still ongoing and so we were able to get a warrant for his arrest,” Sgt. Esther Beckman said.
The district attorney has filed charges of aggravated sexual assault. McCauley is expected to be in court next Tuesday. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office at 831-454-7630.
UPDATE 6/25/15 10:10 p.m.: A Santa Cruz County mental health worker is behind bars – accused of sexually assaulting a child.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office took 56-year-old Chris McCauley of Live Oak into custody this morning. Authorities say he knew his victim, but they would not go into detail how. They also say another victim has come forward.
“We had a couple victims come forward so we conducted an investigation that is still ongoing and so we were able to get a warrant for his arrest,” Sgt. Esther Beckman with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said.
UPDATE 6/25/15 4:33 p.m.: A well known mental health worker working for the Santa Cruz County Department of Health Services was arrested Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting a child, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
Christopher McCauley, 56, of Live Oak, works with the Santa Cruz County School Emergency Mental Health Response team.
The department issued this statement Thursday afternoon:
“This morning a county mental health client specialist in the health services agency was arrested. The county is cooperating fully with law enforcement officials and remains steadfast in our commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for our clients. As you know, the employee does have a right to privacy and the county cannot comment on an on-going law enforcement investigation.”
Rayne Marr
Public Information Officer
PREVIOUS STORY: A well known mental health worker working for the Santa Cruz County Department of Health Services was arrested Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting a child, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
Christopher McCauley, 56, of Live Oak, works with the Santa Cruz County School Emergency Mental Health Response team.
McCauley was arrested outside the county health building at 1400 Emeline Ave. and taken to the Santa Cruz County Jail on a $100,000 arrest warrant.
The Sheriff’s Office said Child Protective Services was initially notified about the allegation and detectives began investigating. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Sexual Assault Unit is continuing to investigate the case.
The Sheriff’s Office believes there may be more victims and anyone with information is asked to call 831-454-7630.
NewsChannel 5 will have more on this story as information becomes available.
