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Morgan Hill police arrested a YMCA childcare employee on suspicion of sexually abusing a 6-year-old child under his care, and subsequently found more evidence that more children may have been victimized by the suspect, authorities said.  Officers were notified last Friday that the 6-year-old girl complained that Nicolas Lhermine, 20 of Morgan Hill, forced her to engage in a “lewd and lascivious act” while attending a local YMCA childcare program, according to Morgan Hill Police Capt. Shane Palsgrove. Police arrested Lhermine the same day the child reported the incident, Palsgrove said. Upon further investigation, officers found evidence of child pornography in his possession - including an obscene photograph of an underage girl. “We collected his cell phone and other electronic equipment, and located some images of persons under the age of 18,” Palsgrove said. “We confirmed the identity of one of those people, and we’re doing a forensic analysis to try and locate others, or find out if they are of age, or if they are the same person.” The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Lhermine with sexual acts with a child age 10 or younger, and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be arraigned at South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Police and YMCA officials are in the process of notifying parents of other children who may have been in contact with Lhermine, who has worked at the YMCA for four years in various capacities, Palsgrove said. Lhermine had violated several YMCA policies that were in place to prevent staff from being alone with the children, and the nonprofit organization is conducting its own investigation to determine how the suspect ended up alone with the 6-year-old victim, YMCA CEO Elizabeth Jordan said. Furthermore, YMCA officials saw no red flags indicating that Lhermine could not be trusted around children, as he was cleared by state and federal law enforcement background checks when he was hired, and all his personal and professional references gave “exemplary” reviews of the employee, Jordan said. “At the Y, the safety and well-being of all children in our care is our primary objective,” YMCA Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Jordan said. “We are taking this matter very seriously and are cooperating with the Morgan Hill Police Department’s investigation of the allegation.” In addition to a background check upon hiring, Lhermine and other YMCA employees are subject to annual and semi-annual reviews while employed with the organization, Jordan said. All of these reviews gave Lhermine a positive evaluation. Plus, YMCA employees undergo ongoing training after they are hired. The YMCA has “multiple and myriad” policies and rules that are intended to prevent employees from being alone with children, Jordan added. These include a “cross referencing system” in which employees keep tabs on each other’s locations, and strict procedures on bathroom use. “We are all trained ad nauseum that you’re never allowed alone with a child,” Jordan said. Jordan and other YMCA officials were preparing to meet with police to discuss the details of the case Wednesday morning.“We’re going to do our own full investigation into how this could possibly have happened,” Jordan said. The childcare program where Friday’s incident took place was stationed at Paradise Valley Elementary School, Palsgrove added. City staff noted that Lhermine was not an employee at the Centennial Recreation Center, where the YMCA partners with the City to run the facility and several programs there. The childcare program where Lhermine worked was sponsored solely by the YMCA, which used a portable unit on campus for the program. Lhermine’s employment at the YMCA did not include any involvement in any programs the nonprofit offers in partnership with the City or local schools. “Please be assured that that the safety and well being of your family and especially your children is our highest priority here at the CRC,” read a notice to CRC members from Morgan Hill Community Services Manager Maureen Tobin. Authorities also noted that Community Solutions offers free services to the victims of sexual assaults, and professionals there encourage victims and parents to make use of those services.“Statistics indicate that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18,” Community Solutions Sexual Assault Program Manager Erica Elliot said. “The effects of child sexual abuse can be devastating, which is why it is so important for those that are victimized to reach out for services and support. Survivors need to know it is never too late to get help, and parents need to know that it is never too early to start a conversation with their children about good versus bad touches and safe versus unsafe secrets.” Community Solutions’ crisis line can be reached at (877) 363-7238. Anyone with information about this incident, or who thinks they or their children may have been victimized by Lhermine can contact Morgan Hill Police Detective Burdick at (408) 779-2101 or the anonymous tip line at (408) 947-7867. 

MHPD arrestsDriving without a valid licenseEdgar Rivera, 38, 10:58 a.m. June 26, on Laurel Road. Joas L. Ojeda, 24, 12:25 p.m. June 27, at Monterey and Watsonville roads.Julian J. Lujan, 21, 4:50 p.m. June 27, at Vineyard Boulevard and Monterey Road.  Manuel Camacho, 30, 12:13 a.m. June 29, at San Tomas Lane and San Pedro Avenue. Yvonne S. Mendoza, 30, 10:17 p.m. June 29, at Old Monterey and Llagas roads. Steven A. Bridges, 32, 12:30 p.m. June 30, at Monterey Road and Vineyard Boulevard. RobberyJoseph J. Darosa, 19, 12 a.m. June 27, at Santa Clara County Jail. ForgeryPablo R. Esparza, 46, 12:26 a.m. June 27, on Monterey Road. WarrantDontae L. Jones, 33, 1:30 a.m. June 27, on Hale Avenue. Arnulfo T. Zamora, 36, 4:31 p.m. June 28, at Monterey Road and Vineyard Boulevard. Patrick M. Shipley, 30, 11:34 p.m. June 29, on Audrey Drive. Drunk in publicTami M. Roth, 47, 1:54 p.m. June 27, on Monterey Road. William E. Green, 51, 1:30 p.m. July 2, at Monterey Road and Dunne Avenue. Rejino Cabajal, 49, 9:05 p.m. July 2, at Tennant Station. Controlled substanceJorge Navarro, 33, 10:34 a.m. June 28, on San Pedro Avenue, for being under the influence. Jeanette M. Silva, 43, 10:34 a.m. June 28, on San Pedro Avenue, for being under the influence. Javier L. Huerta, 25, 11:34 p.m. June 29, on Audrey Drive, for possession of narcotics. Israel H. Herrera, 25, 9:01 a.m. July 4, on West Edmundson Avenue, for possession of marijuana for sale. Gerardo H. Hernandez, 22, 9:01 a.m. July 4, on West Edmundson Avenue, for possession of marijuana for sale. Daniel J. Hernandez, 18, 2:11 p.m. July 5, on Calle Mazatan, for possession of marijuana for sale. Lewd conduct in publicRandall L. Green, 51, 4:09 p.m. July 1, on Monterey Road. DUIRuben Herrera, 41, 9:51 p.m. July 1, at Cochrane Road and Madrone Parkway. Timothy Higgins, 24, 12 a.m. July 2, on Lakeview Drive. Steven Sanoff, 46, 12:52 a.m. July 2, at John Wilson Way and Monterey Road. Martin Mora, 43, 7:15 p.m. July 2, on Monterey Road. Luis D. Villanueva, 25, 1:14 a.m. July 5, on Old Monterey Road. Lewd or lascivious act with child younger than 14Federico Quistian, 25, 12 a.m. July 2, at the Santa Clara County Jail. Petty theftRuben Abonce, 21, 12 a.m. July 2, at South County Courthouse. BurglaryNathan M. Woodward, 18, 4:29 p.m. July 2, at La Mar Court and La Crosse Drive. BatteryDavid A. Ortez, 31, 12:51 p.m. July 3, at Vineyard Town Center Way. Joseph S. Haley, 30, 3:15 a.m. July 4, on Monterey Road. Thomas Hall, 48, 8:29 p.m. July 4, at Carriage and Shadowbrook ways.  Unlawful sexual intercourse with a minorVincente G. Munguia, 23, 11:24 p.m. July 3, on Vineyard Boulevard. 

The City Council might put itself at odds with one of its advisory commissions Wednesday when it considers approval of a public art project that would be displayed in the elected body’s meeting chambers when the space is renovated later this year. The art project, proposed by the 2013 class of Leadership Morgan Hill, is a collage of photographs depicting the “vibrancy” and history of Morgan Hill, to be displayed on the interior wall of the Council’s meeting space at 17555 Peak Ave., after the building is remodeled, according to a City staff report. Each year the graduates of LMH, a nonprofit organization devoted to educating participants about their community, are required to complete a class project that benefits the community. When LMH class of 2013, which is scheduled to graduate in September, presented the project to the City’s Library, Culture and Arts Commission last week, it was met with resistance and a disagreement among commissioners about their defined and expected role in the bureaucratic process of approving public art projects. At their regular meeting last Tuesday, LCAC members voted 6-0-1 (one abstention) to reject the LMH proposal for a variety of reasons, including the lack of a proposed maintenance budget; lack of a public participation process; incompatible timing between the chambers construction and art project schedule; and the lack of an “expansive call for artists” who might contribute work to the LMH proposal, according to a City staff report. LCAC Chair Pamala Meador, in a letter written to the Council Wednesday, also cited the photographs selected by LMH for display so far “do not represent the range of Morgan Hill life one would expect to see in such a significant, visible public space.” “This is a permanent piece of art in one of our most prominent locations in the City, and it is being hustled through,” Meador said Friday. “There has not been any public support. They had very rigid requirements they couldn’t meet.”Furthermore, Meador said LMH failed to give local artists enough time to submit photographs for the work. As a result, contributors to the project have been limited to only a handful of local photographers. “It was not transparent, not conclusive, and it did not include any public comment,” Meador said. LCAC Commissioner Tim Hennessey abstained from Tuesday’s motion to reject the project because it strayed far outside the scope of the commission’s defined responsibilities, he said. The LCAC is merely an advisory board to the Council, and when presented with public art proposals its task is to determine if the projects meet existing City guidelines, Hennessey explained.“If we start making up our own guidelines, that is not fair,” Hennessey said. “It’s unethical, it’s against our oath of office and it is not what the commission is designed for.” Only one of the LCAC’s concerns - the lack of a maintenance budget - is listed in City policies, Hennessey noted. But a City staff report on the project clarified that once attached to the wall, the art piece would be part of the maintenance budget for the public building. Hennessey added the commissioners’ other concerns relating to the quality, content or shape of the work are not the LCAC’s responsibility. “That’s the job of the Council, or by a vote of the people, or an executive decision by (the city manager’s) office,” Hennessey said. The City’s written policies on public art projects provide LCAC with a list of requirements that each proposal must meet, including a written description, an artist’s statement and resume, installation budget and other requirements. “Issues of particular concern to LCAC include safety, durability of the artwork, suitability to the site, and the ongoing maintenance program, which includes funding, materials and time needed,” the policy states. Following the LCAC meeting, City staff prepared a report recommending the Council accept the LMH project Wednesday, but with a list of conditions that reflect the LCAC’s concerns. The staff report said City staff can work with LMH to “mitigate” the LCAC’s concerns. These conditions include an assurance that the LMH class use photographs that “represent the active, vibrant and ethnically diverse community that Morgan Hill has become;” ensuring the shape of the art display mirrors that of El Toro Mountain as LMH has proposed; and conducting a public participation process.Staff also addressed the issue of timing and the fact that the Council has not even made a final determination of how they want the chambers to be renovated. That vote is also on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, as Council will consider different configurations for the chambers’ remodeling that would accommodate larger audiences of 180 or 280, depending on which option they select. Or the Council could choose not to upgrade the chambers at all. The Council chambers renovation project could cost up to $1.7 million, according to City staff. If Council decides to do nothing, or they choose an option that is not compatible with the LMH proposal, staff will continue to work with LMH to find another public site for the collage - such as the lobby of the Centennial Recreation Center. The LMH 2013 class graduates in September - likely months before any renovation of the Council chambers can be completed. The LMH class has proposed funding the $10,000 art project with a series of fundraisers, according to class of 2013 member Swanee Edwards. Upcoming is a wine tasting fundraiser at Bubbles Wine Bar in downtown Morgan Hill, on Aug. 11. “We are looking at (the LCAC decision) as positive criticism,” Edwards said. “We’re taking to heart a lot of the suggestions made by LCAC, and we’re trying to address their concerns. This is all part of learning to be good leaders - you have to plan for things not happening the way you expected them to.” The City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall meeting chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. 

The male driver of a pickup truck died early Friday morning when the vehicle collided with a center divide during a police chase on Highway 101 in San Benito County.