Eisenhower Coach Gets Arrested

Glenn Thompkins, the first-year football coach at Rialto Eisenhower High, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion he had a sexual relationship with an underage female student.

Thompkins, 26, was taken off campus about 2:30 p.m. and booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He posted bail, which was set at $10,000.

“He has not been formally charged, and won’t be until there is a final determination that charges will be filed,” said Richard Maxwell, chief deputy district attorney for San Bernardino County. “The only significant event that has happened is that he bailed out.”

Thompkins has been placed on paid administrative leave until police and school investigations are complete. Rialto Unified School District spokesperson Marilyn Cardosi confirmed that the school will conduct its own investigation.

Eisenhower advanced to a quarterfinal game Friday against Long Beach Poly in the Southern Section Division I playoffs. Assistant coaches conducted practice Tuesday and Athletic Director Tom Hoak, who coached football for 19 seasons before retiring last year, will supervise the coaches and team.

The investigating officer, Det. Kris Arthur of the Rialto Police Dept., opened the case about 10:30 a.m. on a complaint from the parents of a 17-year-old student. He arrested Thompkins in the administration building after an interview.

Thompkins is a graduate of Eisenhower and was quarterback for the 1993 team that won the Southern Section Division I championship. He was chosen the division’s player of the year and went on to play at UCLA, from where he graduated in 1997.

-- Martin Henderson

It’s rare for a cross-country team to be without its top runner because of an injury yet still produce an individual section champion.

That’s what happened Saturday when freshman Bridget Ballard of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake won the Division IV girls’ race in the Southern Section championships at Mt. San Antonio College.

Ballard was Harvard-Westlake’s No. 2 runner behind junior Lindsay Flacks. But when a groin injury forced Flacks to drop out of the section preliminaries on Nov. 16 and kept her from running in the section finals, Ballard stepped forward to win the title that Flacks won last year.

Ballard’s time of 18 minutes 6 seconds over the 2.91-mile course broke the school record of 18:09 set by Flacks last year, cut 35 seconds off Ballard’s previous best at Mt. SAC and led Harvard-Westlake to second place behind defending state champion Oak Park.

“I think she’s been content to be our No. 2 runner,” Harvard-Westlake girls’ Coach Kim Hieatt said of Ballard. “But with Lindsay out, she was able to relax and show her talents.”

Flacks is expected to run in the state championships in Fresno on Saturday.

-- John Ortega