Behavior technician held without bail in San Jose toddler sexual abuse case

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A behavior technician was arrested after allegedly sexually abusing a toddler while providing in-home services in San Jose, authorities said.  Court documents revealed the victim is just two years old. 

Mom reviewed surveillance footage

What we know:

San Jose police received a report last Wednesday alleging the sexual assault and immediately began an investigation.

The child’s mother told police she discovered the alleged abuse after reviewing home surveillance footage. She reported that the suspect abused her child on at least one occasion during the course of his employment.

The suspect was identified as 23-year-old Benjamin Amlicke.

Amlicke appeared in Santa Clara County Superior Court for an arraignment on Tuesday afternoon and was ordered held without bail.

"When you are a parent and you are bringing into your home someone that you expect to work with your child, you want your child to be safe," said Deputy District Attorney Matt Savage. "You expect whoever you bring into your home to have your child’s best interests at heart. And the defendant in this case violated that."

Amlicke was employed by the Center for Speech Language, Occupational and Behavior Therapy, known as CSLOT, which is based in Fremont.

Police said the center was notified of the allegations and has been cooperating with the investigation.

"We are deeply disturbed by the reprehensible actions of this former employee," the center said in a statement to KTVU. "Our thoughts are with those affected, and we recognize the seriousness of the situation. The safety and well-being of those we serve remains our highest priority. We will continue to cooperate with authorities."

Arrest

Amlicke was arrested the following day and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of sexual assault of a minor.

Possible additional victims

Why you should care:

Because of Amlicke’s position of trust and his employment as an in-home behavior technician, detectives believe there may be additional victims, police said.

"We always want to urge anyone who has any other information or who believes they were a victim to come forward. We are here to help," said Officer Tanya Hernadez. 

How to report information

What you can do:

Anyone with information about this case or similar incidents is asked to contact Detective Simonini, (4458) or Detective Minten (4269) by email at 4458@sanjoseca.gov or 4269@sanjoseca.gov, or by phone at 408-277-4102.