CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES
The teenage athlete whose allegations triggered the firing of decorated Compton Dominguez High boys basketball coach Russell Otis testified Monday that Otis tried to persuade him to engage in a sexual “experiment” last year.
The boy, now 17, said Otis drove to his home late one night last August, met him at the rear alley and showed him a stack of money Otis claimed was $1,500. He said he declined the coach’s offer but accepted $100 to buy cellphone minutes.
Otis is standing trial in Compton on felony charges of making an unwanted sexual advance on a minor, and using an allegedly forged document to deposit a $15,000 check from Nike Inc. to the Compton Unified School District into his personal bank account.
He was fired as Dominguez’s coach and athletic director, but has appealed.
-- Lance Pugmire
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