An elementary school counselor charged with sexually abusing children has remained on paid leave after being arrested in February 2025 in Sacramento, California.
The suspect was identified as 36-year-old Wonyoung Kim. Law enforcement arrested him on 10 counts of child sex abuse with minors under the age of 14, including two counts of child sexual abuse with force, the New York Post reported Monday.
He is accused of targeting two girls during counseling sessions while he was working at Charles Peck Elementary School.
However, the Post article said he has earned $70,000 while on paid leave and is still an employee with the San Juan Unified School District.
A civil lawsuit was recently filed against Kim alleging a victim was a student at Peck and that he abused her several times when she was 10 and 11. He is accused of forcing her to sit on his lap and the suit claims school employees did not do anything when he was reported.
“There were several incidents, and basically the kids were seeking counseling. They had something going on in their life they needed to talk about and he was the counselor that they were supposed to trust,” a law enforcement detective told ABC 10 in February 2025.
Kim began working at the elementary school in 2020 and was placed on leave in September 2024 when police began probing his involvement as a youth group leader at Bayside Church.
There had reportedly been “awkward and inappropriate texts” between the suspect and a minor there, which the church reported to parents and law enforcement. Kim was removed from his position, and the church also said it initially conducted a background check on him but found nothing to cause concern:
In February 2025, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office announced Kim’s arrest and said he “worked as a school counselor, and Detectives also learned he was possibly employed at several schools in southern California and a Sacramento Korean language and cultural school. Detectives are concerned there may be other unreported victims, as Kim is known to have had access to other minors through his position at work and in the community.”
The post included video footage of Kim on the ground near a vehicle when officers took him into custody:
The suspect, who remains behind bars, is ineligible for bail, the Post article said.
According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), most perpetrators of child sexual abuse are someone the child knows, including teachers, coaches, or religious leaders.
“Children often don’t have the words — or they don’t feel safe enough — to tell someone they’ve been harmed. That’s why it’s critical to pay attention to both physical and behavioral changes,” the site read.
