BERKELEY — The alleged sexual assault of young boys by a San Francisco Bay Area swim instructor lasted more than a year before his arrest last week, according to court records and authorities.
The suspect, Tyler Livingston, 25, of Emeryville, was criminally charged with allegedly assaulting five boys under the age of 10.
Berkeley police, which is the lead agency in the investigation, and Emeryville police, where Livingston lived, said they believe there may be other victims and are encouraging them to come forward. Berkeley police said they have interviewed other potential victims but have not yet asked prosecutors to file additional charges.
Livingston was charged Friday with 11 felony counts, including seven counts of lewd acts with a child under 14 as well as charges of sexual intercourse or sodomy with a child 10 or younger and continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, records show.
He was also charged with possession of a controlled substance with a firearm and manufacturing or selling a high-capacity magazine, after an unregistered firearm and suspected cocaine were found in his 40th Street apartment in Emeryville when he was arrested July 11.
He pleaded not guilty and was being held in Santa Rita Jail without bail. A judge denied his bail request Monday and he was scheduled for a bail hearing Friday.
Berkeley police began their investigation on June 23 after two boys, ages 6 and 9, “disclosed lewd and lascivious acts committed upon them” by Livingston, which “occurred while the children were taking swimming lessons inside the pool,” records show.
Further investigation uncovered three additional victims and an arrest warrant was issued for Livingston, police said. The alleged victims live in Berkeley and nearby cities.
According to court documents, the alleged assaults occurred at various times between June 1, 2023, and July 7 of this year.
Police did not specify the alleged locations of the incidents.
According to his own business website and other social media platforms, including Nextdoor, Livingston graduated from Pleasant Hill High School in Missouri and earned a bachelor’s degree in global studies from Arizona State University.
Livingston said in online posts that he has been swimming since he was a child and has eight years of experience teaching students ages 6 months to 65 years. He said that for the past few years, “I have been doing private lessons exclusively where I can focus one-on-one with a student to understand their individual abilities and goals in the water.” He said he is available for meetings in homes and at community pools.
Berkeley police investigators can be reached at 510-981-5715 and Emeryville investigators at 510-596-3733.
