SAN DIEGO—A former San Diego-based babysitter arrested last year on allegations that he molested three boys he was hired to care for pleaded guilty on Sept. 15 to three counts of lewd acts on a child.
Zayne St. Julien, 22, agreed to a 22-year prison sentence as part of his guilty pleas entered Friday.
Police said the boys—who were ages 7, 8, and 11 at the time—were molested between July and December of last year, with each incident occurring at the victims’ homes.
In each case, the victim’s parents hired Mr. St. Julien through a website known as Sittercity, police Lt. Adam Sharki said.
One parent reported the molestation of her child to police in November of 2022, prompting a police investigation, according to the lieutenant. With the assistance of Sittercity personnel, two other boys were identified as victims, and their parents reported the incidents the following month, Sharki said.
Mr. St. Julien was arrested in late December as he was exiting an airplane at San Diego International Airport, according to police.
In a statement released shortly after his arrest, a Sittercity representative said Mr. St. Julien had been active on its platform—which connects caregivers with families seeking babysitters—since June of 2019, with no complaints received prior to the allegations.
Sittercity said he underwent 11 background checks since joining the platform as a caregiver, “with none identifying any criminal history.”
The statement continued, “Upon receiving a complaint about Mr. St. Julien, we immediately contacted the police, terminated him from the platform and notified any family with whom he had ever communicated. As an industry leader, Sittercity works closely with law enforcement, policy makers, and industry peers to advance safeguards and the most up-to-date safety and security measures that will enhance the ability of families to make the most informed decisions when choosing care providers.”
