$2.5-million claim filed against Newport

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- Former youth recreational coordinator Trenton Michael

Veches’ connection to a Web site named “Naked Youth” should have been a

red flag to officials that he shouldn’t be working around children, says

the family of an alleged 7-year-old victim of toe sucking by Veches.

Abdul Alkayali, father of a 7-year-old he says was a victim, filed a

$2.5-million claim against the city on Monday on the grounds that the

city’s background check and supervision of Veches were inadequate.

Veches was arrested April 17 on suspicion of lewd conduct with

children enrolled in city programs.

A claim is the first step toward filing a lawsuit. If the city decides

not to pay the claim, the family and their attorney say they plan to file

a lawsuit.

“This is about the safety of our children,” said Alkayali, who noted

that his son has participated in city programs for the last five years.

“We trust them with our children. How did this go on for two years?”

City officials do not comment on pending litigation.

The Alkayalis’ claim alleges that city staffers were negligent in

hiring Veches because, the family says, a better background check should

have been performed. Their claim also alleges the city was negligent

because staff did not supervise Veches better.

A more thorough background check, attorney Fred Hunter claimed, would

have revealed that Veches’ e-mail address, “wildyouth@aol.com,” was

linked to a Web site of the same name. The now-defunct www.wildyouth.com

page linked to the www.somethingweird.com Web page with the title “Naked

Youth aka Wild Youth.” That page contains what appears to be a film

review of an early 1960s film titled “Naked Youth.” Though there is no

evidence the Web site ever contained or linked to any pornography, Hunter

said the possible connection should have been a red flag to the city.

“He operated this Web site the whole time until he got arrested,”

Hunter said. “We don’t know what he was doing.”

If a lawsuit is filed, Hunter will have the legal ability to request

more information about the Web site’s content before it was shut down.

The family also wants to be able to see the digital photos found in

Veches’ possession that they say include their son. Though they have

already seen photos that, they say, show Veches putting his mouth on

their son’s toes, they want access to all the photos to assure that no

other acts were committed against the boy and also to assist in the

child’s therapy.

Veches worked as a recreational coordinator for Newport Beach, where

he ran and supervised several after-school and summer programs in which

more than 600 children participated in last year.

After his arrest, investigators seized from Veches compact discs that,

officials say, contain photos of Veches sucking the toes of numerous

children, mostly boys between the ages of 6 and 10.

Hunter claims that, of the roughly 1,000 images allegedly showing at

least 47 different children, the Alkayalis’ son appeared in more photos

than any other.

Veches pleaded not guilty April 19 to seven counts of lewd conduct

with children. He also faces a special one-strike enhancement on each of

those charges, which, if proved, can send him to prison for life without

eligibility for parole for at least 25 years. A pretrial hearing is

scheduled for June 28.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .