Berkeley High sexual battery suspect facing new charges
A judge had ordered Audrey Barlow to stay away from Berkeley High when she released him on his own recognizance last month.
A man who was ordered to avoid Berkeley High after the alleged sexual battery of a student is in custody again this week after violating the stay-away order, charging papers show.
Berkeley police said they spotted Audrey Barlow, 41, walking along the southern sidewalk of Civic Center Park, right across from Berkeley High, on Monday afternoon.
Police wrote that they knew Barlow had been ordered to stay away from the park and high school when a judge released him on his own recognizance last month during a hearing for the sexual battery case.
Emilie Raguso
On Monday, officers detained Barlow at MLK and Allston after he ignored police commands to stop further up the sidewalk, according to court papers.
Police noted that Barlow had failed to appear in court several times and that his disregard for the stay-away order could lead to the endangerment of high school students.
On Tuesday, the Alameda County DA's office charged Barlow with two new misdemeanors from March 3: violating the earlier stay-away order and obstruction.
He is now being held at Santa Rita Jail and was set for arraignment Wednesday, according to court records. No bail amount is currently listed online.
His next court date in the new case was also not listed as of publication time.
Emilie Raguso
Barlow is, however, set to appear in court in mid-April to determine whether his sexual battery case would be appropriate for a mental health diversion program, according to court records.
The sex crime case came up repeatedly last week at a community meeting focused on the city's plans for the homeless encampment across from Berkeley High at Civic Center Park.
During the meeting, park advocates said Barlow did not live in the encampment and was not part of the park community, while other community members said their concerns about the park encampment were broader than a single individual or incident.
