Family sues YMCA Silicon Valley over camp counselor charged with assaulting minors

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The YMCA of Silicon Valley has been named in a lawsuit over hiring a camp counselor who was later arrested three times and charged with committing lewd and lascivious acts on a minor under 14.

The family of a 10-year-old sexual assault victim has filed a lawsuit alleging the YMCA was negligent in hiring 25-year-old Anthony Joseph Ramon, that the organization failed to properly supervise him around minors, and that YMCA leadership failed to properly protect the child who Ramon allegedly victimized.

"YMCA SV’s employees breached (the) duties owed by failing to properly supervise Plaintiff such that Ramon was allowed to openly sexually assault Plaintiff in the pool at the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center, failing to enforce its own child protection policy such that Ramon was able to grope Plaintiff’s genitalia over her swimsuit during a field trip; and failing to train and/or educate YMCA Sv’s staff on how to effectively supervise its minor campers."

Alleged crimes

The backstory:

Ramon is accused of molesting three 10-year-old girls while working as a YMCA camp counselor, and is facing five felony molestation charges.

The charges stem from a June 30 field trip to the Morgan Hill Aquatic Center, during which Ramon was supervising camp goers. Morgan Hill police arrested Ramon on July 9 after learning he had allegedly sexually touched a 10-year-old girl in the pool. He was released after posting $100,000 bail.

He was arrested a second time, on July 16, after another 10-year-old girl reported being touched in the swimming pool during the same field trip. Ramon posted the $200,000 bail and was again released.

A third 10-year-old girl came forward and alleged that Ramon had also touched her inappropriately during the field trip. He was arrested on July 27 and posted the $50,000 bail.

In total, Ramon posted $350,000 bail through $24,500 paid to bail bond companies.

NewsCrime and Public Safety