The child pornography case against a now former employee of the Westport Weston Family YMCA is still in the early stages of the investigation, but so far, there’s no evidence the images include any kids from his workplace, according to Westport police.
“We've been fielding a lot of calls from concerned parents about this. At this time in the investigation, we have nothing to say that there were any kids in the Y involved,” Lt. Eric Woods told News 12.
Police arrested
Brian Myers, 29, of Westport, on a charge of third-degree possession of child pornography on Saturday. Myers was released on a $30,000 bond and is due in Stamford Superior Court on July 5.
Myers has no prior criminal history.
The Westport Weston Family YMCA said it was “deeply dismayed and disturbed” to learn of the arrest, and the organization fired Myers immediately. He was first hired in 2011 and for the past three years, Myers primarily worked in Kids Club and with birthday parties. In 2022, he worked for Camp Hafaday and sometimes filled in for the program during holiday camps, the organization said.
Police began investigating Myers last week after being contacted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited children, which had received an anonymous tip. A person who worked with Myers went to use a shared computer and found inappropriate YouTube videos and searches linked to Myers’ account, according to the police report. Woods said officers went to Myers’ home to talk with him about the allegations.
“It was pretty evident pretty quickly that he wasn't going to try to deny this. He's been cooperative with the investigation, and he's provided the devices that we asked for,” Woods stated.
That included his cellphone and laptop. According to the police report, Myers initially said he’d been hacked a couple years ago, but he hadn’t done anything, and "kids being naked or whatever" was showing up on his YouTube channel. "I'm not trying to be a pedophile or anything, it's just curiosity," the report said he told police. Myers allegedly then admitted to having images of naked children on his computer. Police also found a recently deleted video on his phone, the report said.
When police informed Myers that the video was child pornography, he said, “I’m so sorry,” according to the report.
Myers told police he downloaded the images from a website, but he didn’t remember the website’s name, the report said. He also said none of the images was taken by him or of children in his care.
“We want the public and the parents of the Y to know we understand their concerns and we take their concerns very seriously, and if something comes up in the investigation, we will work with the appropriate people to identify the person and then get ahold of the parents,” Woods said. The Westport Weston Family YMCA said it will continue to support police in their investigation and released the following statement:
“At the Westport Weston Family YMCA (WWFY), the safety and well-being of children in our care always has been and always will be a top priority. We are committed to providing a safe environment to every person who enters our doors—most importantly children who are entrusted to our care. We have a series of measures in place to keep kids safe. Currently, the WWFY:
• Conducts daily National Sex Offender Registry (BIB) checks on all staff;
• Conducts a State & County Criminal Record Checks (felony and misdemeanor), Social Security verification and National Sex Offender Registry (BIB) for all newly hired employees;
• Conducts daily screenings of all members against the National Sex Offender Registry (BIB);
• Conducts detailed interviews prior to hiring;
• Conducts a minimum of three reference checks for all applicants;
• Requires all staff to complete training on preventing, recognizing and responding to abuse;
• Prohibits staff from being alone with a child where they cannot be observed by others;
• Restricts staff contact with children outside of YMCA programs;
• Has a policy in place forbidding/limiting electronic communication between staff and youth
• Reports any allegations or suspicions of abuse to the proper authorities in accordance with Connecticut law;
• Follows/exceeds local licensing requirements for supervision ratios of staff to children;
The WWFY takes pride in providing safe places for children to grow in skills and self-confidence.”