Coach Tells Judge He’s Not Guilty in Molestation Case

Surrounded by his assistants and family, a legendary Compton high school basketball coach adamantly pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he sexually molested a player.

“Your honor, I am totally innocent of all these charges,” Russell Otis, 38, told Superior Court Judge Xenophon F. Lang Jr. during a three-minute arraignment at Lynwood Justice Center.

The plea by Otis, coach of the storied Dominguez High School team, came more than three weeks after he was arrested on allegations that he had sexual contact with a 17-year-old senior who was expected to play on this year’s team. During that time, much of Compton has rallied around Otis, who is revered for producing top college players and winning four state championships in the last five years.

The coach faces felony counts of sodomy by use of force and oral copulation, allegedly committed during an October encounter at his Carson townhouse. Otis also faces a charge of misdemeanor child molestation stemming from a separate alleged incident involving the same player this fall.

Otis had refused to say anything about the case until Tuesday, referring all questions to his lawyer. But in brief comments to reporters outside the courthouse, Otis said his character had been unfairly attacked in media reports.

“I desperately want to let everyone know I’m innocent,” the coach said, adding: “I’ve dedicated 14 years of my life to the development of young people.”

He also apologized to his players for being unable to attend the opening of their season tonight at a tournament in Fresno. Keeping together Dominguez’s team, which includes players who have moved from all over the state to play for Otis, has been a priority for the coach and his supporters in the weeks since his arrest.

“Sorry to my team that I can’t be with them,” he said.

A preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled for Dec. 12. Otis’ lawyer, Leonard B. Levine, has promised exhaustive efforts to challenge prosecutors’ evidence. As a result, Otis is likely to miss most and perhaps all of the season, even if he is cleared.

Dominguez named Steve Singleton, one of Otis’ assistants, as interim head coach.

“Practices have been all business,” said Horace Aubrey, one of the assistants. “This team is on a mission.”

Otis, who is free on $100,000 bail, arrived in court dressed as if to coach a game--in a beige sport coat, dark slacks and a black turtleneck. About a dozen supporters hugged Otis and prayed together before the arraignment.

Supporters said Otis’ aggressive mentoring of his players, which includes visits to his home, has unfairly made him a target of suspicion.

“He cares about kids and the community,” said Larry Jett, a Compton Community College professor, who has known the coach since Otis was a teenager playing basketball at Dominguez. “This is what happens when you’re on top of the heap, like Russell is.”

The judge granted a request by the prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. Diana Martinez, to bar Otis from any contact with the alleged victim and two other witnesses in the case.

Those witnesses are former Dominguez students who have told sheriff’s investigators that they had sexual contact with the coach, according to authorities and lawyers for the coach and player. No charges have been filed in connection with those allegations because the alleged contact occurred more than four years ago, according to authorities and the lawyers.

The accusing player, a 17-year-old senior, transferred to Dominguez this fall to play for Otis, who is known for placing players at top colleges. After Otis’ arrest earlier this month, the player, who had been expected to be a key contributor to this year’s team, left for another school.

No members of the player’s family attended Tuesday’s arraignment. The player’s lawyer, Randy H. McMurray of Johnnie L. Cochran’s law firm, said after the session that his investigators are interviewing other former basketball players about Otis’ conduct.