UPDATE, 5:30 p.m.
Albany Middle School sixth grade teacher James Izumizaki was found dead in his car Monday, in the Via Alamitos area of San Lorenzo, of an apparent suicide.
Izumizaki, 28, had been arrested last Wednesday in Albany on suspicion of committing a lewd act with a former student.
Alameda County sheriff's department spokesman Sgt. James Nelson said Monday that officers received a call sometime after 10 in the morning from a member of the deceased man's family who found Izumizaki in his car.
Nelson said the death was an apparent suicide but offered no specifics about the means in deference to the feelings of the family.
Izumizaki had been tentatively scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment October 24.
His arrest had shocked residents of Albany where the 28-year-old was a popular teacher.
Ben Chenin, 15, said "Mr. I" gave his life some structure following the divorce of his parents. "He was like a big brother. He was one of the greatest influences on my life—and he still is."
Chenin's mother, Mary Ellen Azada, said she was struggling to manage the tension between being sensitive to the needs of both Izumizaki's family and the family of the alleged victim in the accusations against him.
Original post, 3:35 p.m.
The Albany Unified School District released the following statement at 3:14 p.m. Monday. It appears below in full.
Albany Unified School District reports with great sadness that according to Albany Police Department, Albany Middle School 6th grade teacher James Izumizaki passed away. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the death as a possible suicide.
Albany Unified School District sent the following statement to families at 3:15 p.m. by auto-dialer, email, and by e-tree.
“This is an important message from Albany Unified School District with very sensitive information. It is with great sadness that we inform you that according to Albany Police Department, Albany Middle School 6th grade teacher James Izumizaki passed away. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the death as a possible suicide. We have no other information at this time. Students have not been informed by our staff. We will inform the students Tuesday, October 2nd when mental health personnel will be available on site.”
Superintendent Marla Stephenson will hold a PRESS CONFERENCE Tuesday,
October 2nd at 8:30 a.m. at Albany Unified School District, 1051
Monroe Street, Albany.
So many posts here make me feel positively ill. What is wrong with you people?! Have we learned so little? Is this still 1957?! Listen to yourselves: you advocate protecting a grown man at the expense of an innocent child!!! Actual posts suggesting nobody should have spoken up, or that this poor child is a malicious liar! What is WRONG with you!? NO, NO, NO, the police would not have arrested and charged this man without evidence. So, there WAS evidence. They could not SHOW IT TO YOU--this was supposed to proceed to trial, and that information is confidential until presented at trial. And his suicide speaks to consciousness of guilt. If he was innocent, he would have fought for his life and his reputation. So much delusional crap in this thread, so much dangerous ignorance of the ways of child predators. You may feel compassion for them, they are obviously damaged human beings; but YOU MAY NOT protect their acts and try to bury the terrible damage they do. Educate yourselves--oh, but you won't do that, will you? Because the truth about pedophiles is UGLY. And you don't want to acknowledge ugly realities. It's much easier to cling to your illusions about the too-good-to-be-true teacher. He may've tried so hard with other kids to assuage his own conscience, not just preserve his cover; I have met molesters who truly convince themselves that they do no harm. Denial is a monstrous force for evil, and it breaks my heart to see the twisted attitudes here.
Yes, I am an AHS graduate. I had so many wonderful, decent, gifted and committed teachers. I love them all. But there were OTHER teachers. There was the brute who verbally and psychologically tormented female students. There was the sweet, tragic drunk who slurred her way through most all of her classes--I adored her, but she should not have been teaching. I could go on, but let's cut to the chase. There were the perverts. I can think of two at AHS that I knew of for sure. My father protected me from one of them. The other, I sussed from day one. He was, yep, too good to be true. SUCH a nice guy, such a mentor, all the kids loved him. Why, I asked myself, do I not want to take this man's class? Why does he make my flesh crawl?? Decades later, the truth came out; but it wasn't a good feeling in the end, because that jerk kept me from taking a subject I really wanted to learn about. Then there was the other one, the one my Dad privately warned off me and who never spoke a friendly word to me again after that. He set his sights on another girl, and those of us who liked her watched her die inside month by month until she was a frail shadow of the healthy girl who came to AHS. Coincidence? I doubt it!! And guess what--PEOPLE KNEW. Lots of people knew!!! ADULTS KNEW. Nobody did a doggoned thing. Not while that girl (and who knows how many others) suffered. Not while these men preyed on us. Get real, people!!! This is nothing new!!! Not here in Albany; not anywhere.
Sure, the video was stupid, ignorant, and devoid of art form, but from what I can tell it wasn't a joke. If these are the kinds of kids "A-Town" is producing, i am now genuinely worried about this town's future. A parody of a Justin Beaver song, sure - I can handle that joke. But when these kids start talking about slapping the skins or dropping to your knees, A line definitely needs to be drawn there by the parents.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love, Where there is injury your pardon, Lord, And where there's doubt true faith in you. Make me a channel of your peace: Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope, Where there is darkness, only light. And where there's sadness, ever joy. O Master grant that I may never seek So much to be consoled as to console: To be understood, as to understand, To be loved, as to love with all my soul! Make me a channel of your peace: It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, In giving of ourselves that we receive, And in dying that we are born to eternal life. St. Francis of Assisi
What my reality was, it was so opposite. But here is what hurt the most...when the truth came out, his name had not been mentioned so he plead with me to name someone else and he even dropped a few names to blame! I just wouldn't tell anyone who it was, finally, my step sister came forward and spoke up. Here is the thing, this teacher may have been falsely accused. It happens, I have seen it happen. Problem, innocent or not, that label sticks to you for the rest of your life. As a teacher, that story would have followed him forever. Guilty or not, it seems suicide was his best way out. Sad but true. I hope all involved are able to heal and work past this. May this young man RIP... May the accuser find peace.
"The number of fake accounts on Facebook is roughly the size of Egypt’s population and larger than most of the world’s countries, the company disclosed this week." http://mashable.com/2012/08/02/fake-facebook-accounts/
I would like to commend you on figuring out that both MQ and myself are the same person!!!<--- does this look familiar?? double and triple marks just for you because you're a genius and only a true genius could have figured that out!!<<---Oh look' I did it again.....I can't help myself!! One thing is for sure: You have no clue what you are talking about!! I am definately not MQ nor am I the same person!! If it has'nt passed thru you're small brain by now, you should take into concideration that more than 1 person in this world can share the same views!! I know that this is coming as a shock to you and you probably have lived most of your pathetic existence thinking that you know it all, but this time I can assure you that you don't know as much as you think you do! Next time do yourself a favor and don't try to figure me out because I can guarantee that even though I don't know it all...I do know more this time than you do!!