Albany Police Chief to School Chief: Izumizaki Case is Closed

In a letter sent to Albany Unified’s superintendent Tuesday, the city’s police chief said that video and pictures “stand alone as incontrovertible evidence” that James Izumizaki molested two students at Albany Middle School, at his residence and in his car between April and September 2012.

While the letter states that the investigation into the Izumizaki case is closed and that no other Albany Unified School District employees were “involved in or knowledgeable of” Izumizaki’s crimes, Chief of Police Michael McQuiston denied a request from Superintendent Marla Stephenson that APD release all of the evidence relating to the case.

[To read the full letter, see the pdf attached to this article.]

Izumizaki, 28, had been arrested in late September in Albany on suspicion of committing a lewd act with a former student. A few days later, he committed suicide. [Read all of Albany Patch's coverage relating to the case and its impact on the community.]

McQuiston wrote Tuesday that the investigation also found that Izumizaki had child pornography unrelated to the case and voyeuristic videos of juveniles and adults. Police found no criminal evidence on AUSD computers, according to McQuiston. 

The chief added that he hopes the official end of the investigation will help the "AUSD community continue the healing that began late last year and move forward from these events."