Compton Coach Charged With Molesting Player

The nationally prominent coach of one of Southern California’s best high school basketball teams was charged Friday afternoon with sexually molesting one of his players.

Russell Otis, the 38-year-old boys coach at Compton’s Dominguez High, faces felony counts of sodomy by use of force and of oral copulation during an October encounter at his Carson townhouse, according to two lawyers and a three-page criminal complaint filed in Lynwood Justice Court. The coach is also charged with a misdemeanor count of child molestation stemming from a separate incident this fall. If he is convicted, Otis could go to state prison for up to nine years and eight months.

The charges, following a three-week investigation, are expected to echo far beyond Compton, where the city gave his players championship rings this spring after their fourth state title in five years. Otis is also known nationwide as a paid consultant for Nike who mingles with top young players and famous college and pro coaches.

“This is a tragic day for everybody involved,” said Randy H. McMurray, a lawyer with the firm of Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. who is representing the player. “The charges speak to the fact that the allegations made by my client are substantiated and should be taken seriously.”

Otis’ lawyer, Leonard B. Levine of Century City, said the coach, who is free on $100,000 bail, will plead not guilty at an arraignment scheduled for Nov. 28. “Coach Otis adamantly denies any wrongdoing, and we’re confident that his innocence will be completely established,” said Levine. “Hopefully, we’ll find out what the motive behind these allegations is.”

Only one accuser, a 17-year-old senior who had transferred to the school this fall to play for Otis, is referred to in the criminal complaint. Investigators believe the teenager was seduced with promises of cash and cars.

But according to three lawyers and a county official familiar with the case, investigators have interviewed two former Dominguez students who say they were similarly lured and molested by Otis.

No charges were filed in those cases, the sources said, because those alleged incidents occurred more than four years ago--beyond the statute of limitations. The former students are considered corroborating witnesses in the current case, the lawyers said. The coach’s lawyer questioned why such witnesses had not come forward years ago.

In the meantime, friends and lawyers for the coach and the accusing player have joined a public relations battle for the sympathies of the Compton community, which has largely supported the coach during the investigation. “We expect the community to continue to stand behind the coach because of his background and character,” Levine said.

McMurray, the player’s lawyer, has asked the community to refrain from any reprisals against his client, who has transferred to another school. “I hope the community supports him,” said McMurray. “People need to understand it’s not his fault. I’ve told my client he’s not to blame for what happened to him, though the sad thing is I think he blames himself to a certain extent.”

If the case goes to trial, arguments will probably center on the player’s decision to seek a transfer out of Dominguez this fall only weeks after joining the team. Otis’ defenders say that the boy retaliated because the coach declined to help him transfer out. The boy’s lawyer says the transfer request was an effort to escape abuse.

The coach, a full-time physical education and health teacher at Dominguez High, has been on paid leave since his arrest Nov. 2. The Compton district is expected to suspend him without pay now that he has been charged. If he is cleared, the coach would be entitled to back pay and his old job, provided that he can renew his teacher’s credential, which has expired.

Parents contacted Friday said they continue to support the coach. But the charges mean that Otis, if cleared, could miss the entire season. The Dons are scheduled to begin defense of their national championship--as compiled in newspaper polls last spring--in a Fresno tournament later this month.

“We’re just trying to focus on the season, which is going to be great,” said Andre Flowers, one of the assistant coaches running the team.