Soccer Coach Denies Molestation Charges
A San Gabriel Valley teacher and soccer coach pleaded not guilty Monday in Pomona Municipal Court to several felony charges stemming from allegations that he sexually molested a 15-year-old male soccer player, authorities said.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jack Robert Kelley, 30, of La Verne, Thursday while his fifth-grade Gladstone Elementary School students were away on a field trip.
An eight-year employee of the Bonita Unified School District, Kelley was “very well-respected and popular,” said Barbara Ward, a spokeswoman for the district.
The alleged victim is not a student in the district. Authorities believe Kelley met the boy through the American Youth Soccer Organization, in which the teacher served as a coach for several years, Deputy Mark Bailey said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled June 28.
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