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A second local resident is facing criminal charges in a child sex abuse case that caught international attention when the first defendant, a Delta Airlines co-pilot, was arrested from the cockpit late last month.
Jennifer Spitz Powell, the second suspect taken into custody in that case, lives in Alamo according to her social media profiles. Her online profiles also indicate she has worked at Spitz Jewelers in Walnut Creek and as a lead preschool teacher at Kindercare Education. She holds an associates degree in early childhood education from Diablo Valley College.
It’s unclear what Spitz Powell’s relationship is to the first defendant, Rustom Bhagwagar, who had lived in San Ramon, according to initial reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle. The two face identical charges and a total of 24 felony counts each for child sexual abuse and assault between the years of 2018 and 2023 in Contra Costa County.
The victim’s name is not being released by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office due to their age and the nature of the crimes.
Although named in charging documents as Jennifer Powell, the Alamo woman’s maiden name was restored to Jennifer Michelle Spitz in 2022 according to records from her divorce, which was finalized in 2011. She is referred to by her maiden name in a 2011 misdemeanor DUI and public intoxication case that she pleaded not guilty to, and which was dismissed in 2016.
The family-owned business Spitz Jewelers has operated in Walnut Creek since 1986, when it was relocated from Oakland. It’s unclear when Spitz Powell was employed there according to her social media profiles, and what her connection to the owners is beyond their family name.
According to Classmates.com, Spitz Powell graduated from Monte Vista High School in 1998.
Spitz Powell worked as the head teacher for 2-year-olds at KinderCare Education during the time of the alleged abuse from 2018 to 2020, as well as at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco from 2017 to 2020, according to LinkedIn. Her current employer was listed as Guild Mortgage.
Spitz Powell and Bhagwagar are both being held on $15 million bail each at the Martinez Detention Facility. They are set for arraignment on Aug. 19 at 1:30 p.m.
