East Bay teacher was assigned to girls dorm with disabled locks before he allegedly molested 11-year-old

BERKELEY — An East Bay educator charged with molesting an 11-year-old as she slept in a college dorm has been released from jail, following a judge’s ruling to set his bail at $75,000, court records show.

Quaylin Wesley, 27, of Oakland and Vallejo, has been charged with 10 felonies for allegedly going into the girl’s room repeatedly on the night of June 13 and groping her, forcing her to touch him, and attempting to sodomize her, prosecutors say. Wesley, who has taught at elementary schools and sports programs around the East Bay, has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors asked Judge Thomas Reardon to either deny Wesley’s bail or set it at a much higher figure of $900,000, arguing he was a public safety threat. His defense attorney argued that Welsey had “zero criminal history,” and cited a recent California Supreme Court ruling directing judges to set bail that is “reasonably attainable,” unless prosecutors can show public danger or a risk of flight. After Reardon sided with the defense, Wesley posted bail and was released in July, records show.

Wesley’s alleged crimes all involved an 11-year-old girl who attended a weeklong summer camp at UC Berkeley called SOAR, which serves foster youth specifically, prosecutors say. While boy and girl campers were housed in separate dormitories, the camp assigned Wesley to watch over the girls’ dorm at night, and also disabled the rooms’ locking mechanisms by taping over them, according to court records.

SOAR takes place on the UC Berkeley campus but is not administered by the university.

Campers later complained to police that rooms would swing open because of the taping, forcing some of them to brace the doors with heavy objects. Either way, Wesley was expected to occasionally open the doors and check on the girls, but not step inside, prosecutors say.

Sometime during the night of June 13, the girl reported that Wesley entered the room where she and a roommate were sleeping, and began touching her inappropriately. She mumbled “no” and attempted to roll over; when her roommate appeared to wake up, Wesley left, she told police. He allegedly returned a few moments later, and prosecutors say this time he attempted to sodomize her before leaving.

The girl tried to wake up her roommate, then contacted another camper in a different room, authorities said. Eventually, she found other counselors who evacuated the entire girls’ dorm. One of them confronted Wesley, who allegedly began to yell at the other counselor and demanded to know what was going on. It got to a point where she asked if he was going to hit her and he said, “no,” prosecutors allege.

The other counselor later told police he smelled like alcohol and marijuana, police say. When the counselors called 911, Wesley allegedly fled.

The next day, Wesley agreed to meet with University of California police. He denied ever sexually abusing the girl, who he claimed asked him for a marijuana “vape” pen the night before. He said he left the dorm after another counselor started talking “crazy” to him, according to court records. Prosecutors allege he held onto a dorm master key and its whereabouts remained unknown after his arrest.

The girl later confirmed she’d asked Wesley for a cannabis product the night before, after noticing he smelled like marijuana, according to police. Another camper told police she changed her daily habits because Wesley’s behavior creeped her out; she perceived that he was sitting in a position that allowed him to see her leaving the showers and walking to her room, so she began bringing a change of clothes into the shower area and getting dressed there, according to police.

Officials with the SOAR camp program didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Wesley’s Linkedin page says he has previously worked at several Oakland schools or youth programs, including Martin Luther King Elementary School, the Francophone Charter School, MetWest High School and the Triple Threat Academy, as well as serving on the Catalyst Youth Network board, all since 2023. His attorney, Annie Beles, said in court filings he dedicated his life to education after graduating from UC Berkeley.

Wesley is next due in court on Aug. 26, records show.