Trial set for man accused of molesting several boys

Deepa Bharath

Opening arguments are expected to begin today in the trial of Trenton

Michael Veches, the former Newport Beach recreation coordinator

accused of inappropriately touching several young boys who were

enrolled in the city’s programs.

Veches, 32, of Huntington Beach, was arrested in April 2002 and

faces 28 felony counts of lewd contact with minors and one

misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography. He has pleaded not

guilty to all charges. Veches quit his job after the allegations.

A jury was selected on Wednesday. The trial will begin today

before Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard F. Toohey.

Newport Beach Police said investigators pored over hundreds of

images on Veches’ computer and identified about 50 photos that

involved children who participated in city recreation programs in the

last two years. Several of those pictures showed Veches sucking the

toes of boys between ages 6 and 10, investigators said.

Investigators said they found a stack of 36 photos in Veches’ home

that showed him sucking the toes of several young boys who attended

the city’s programs. They also said they found more than 3,500 images

of child pornography on CD ROMs and Zip disks in a cardboard box

under his bed.

Police said all of the victims were young boys who attended

several of the city’s after-school, day-care and recreational

programs that he supervised at Mariners Park, West Newport Community

Center on 15th Street and the Community Youth Center on 5th Street in

Corona del Mar.

Detectives who testified at a preliminary hearing in September

said one of the boys they questioned told them Veches would take

pictures of his feet and of him lying on the pool table making funny

faces. Another boy told investigators that Veches would ask him if he

could suck on his toes and would do it even if the boy said “no.”

If convicted, Veches faces life in prison without the possibility

of parole for at least 25 years.

He is being held in Orange County jail in lieu of a $500,000 bail.

Parents of three young boys whom Veches is accused of molesting

also filed a civil lawsuit against the city on Dec. 11 for negligence and negligent hiring.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.