Wilder Jailed on Suspicion of Grand Theft

Dave Wilder, who was fired Thursday as Westlake High baseball coach for misstating his employment history, has been arrested on suspicion of grand theft property, police said Saturday.

Wilder, 53, was being held Saturday night at L.A. County Men’s Central Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail after being arrested by district attorney investigators.

A warrant for Wilder’s arrest had been outstanding since April 1994, according to court records. The felony complaint involves three counts of grand theft exceeding $400.

Wilder, a first-year walk-on head coach, was dismissed Thursday after coming under fire from several parents for allegedly misstating his employment history.

Westlake Athletic Director Joseph Pawlick initially said he believed that Wilder made no attempt to falsify his resume but changed his mind after further investigating the coach’s work history.

Wilder had stated that he was head varsity baseball coach at Verdugo Hills High in 1992 when in fact he was a walk-on assistant to Coach John Vera.