Former After-School Employee's Child Porn Sentence Reduced

By Bay City News Service

A San Mateo County judge reduced the conviction today of a former
after-school program employee who was found guilty of having child
pornography on March 9.

Judge Lisa Novak granted a defense motion to reduce the conviction
of Eric Michael Renz, 22, of Millbrae, from a felony to a misdemeanor, with
three years court probation conditioned on one day in county jail, which he’s already served, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve
Wagstaffe.

In addition, Renz must register as sex offender with police and
pay a $235 fine. Furthermore, his computer can be seized and searched by
police at any time, Wagstaffe said.

“This was an utterly hysterical overreaction by the Police Department and the district attorney’s office. They were dead wrong here and
thank goodness we had a judge who saw it for what it is,” defense attorney
Charles Smith said. “The judge got it right.”

Renz had previously worked as an after-school child care assistant
at Albion H. Horrall Elementary School, located at 949 Ocean View Ave. in San Mateo.

Prosecutors said on October 18, 2013, a school custodian witnessed
Renz sitting on a bench, kissing a 6-year old female student on the lips
twice, with his arm around her shoulder and his hand on her hip. The
custodian reported the incident to school administrators, who immediately
called police.

Renz denied to police he kissed the female student.

When police seized his laptop, a forensic search revealed downloaded child pornography, prosecutors said.

After a three-day court trial, Judge Lisa Novak decided that evidence he kissed the 6-year-old was insufficient. The court found Renz guilty of felony possession of child pornography, but today the judge granted the defense motion to reduce that charge to a misdemeanor, according to
prosecutors.