A basketball coach who worked at a Minneapolis charter school and a youth organization sexually assaulted a child athlete in his care, according to charges filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court.

Aaron J. Hjermstad, 41, of Brooklyn Center, was charged with one count each of soliciting a child and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The alleged victim was a preteen when he was assaulted in October and again in February while spending the night at Hjermstad’s home, the charges say.

The charges note that Hjermstad was a teacher at Mastery School and a basketball coach at Hospitality House Youth Development.

Emily Peterson, executive director of Mastery School, had no comment other than to confirm that Hjermstad was no longer employed there. He had been listed on the website as a physical education and health teacher. The school serves grades K-6.

The executive director and program director of Hospitality House, a north Minneapolis outreach group that focuses on urban youth, could not be reached for comment.

Hjermstad did not return messages left at a number listed for him; he had no attorney listed. He was charged via summons, meaning he is not in custody.

According to the complaint: Brooklyn Center police received a report March 5 that a boy had spent the night a week earlier at Hjermstad’s home and was asked by Hjermstad to perform a sex act in exchange for money. The boy was reportedly sleeping in Hjermstad’s bed while Hjermstad slept on the floor. The boy’s brother slept in another room.

Hjermstad was planning to take the boys to a game the next day, the complaint says.

The boy told an investigator that after he was propositioned by Hjermstad he left to tell his brother, but Hjermstad ordered him to return to the bedroom or face being pulled out of the game the next day, the complaint says. It says the boy’s mother reported that her son had been offered money not to cooperate with police. The charges do not say who made the alleged offer.

The boy also said that he had spent the night at Hjermstad’s home in October and was lying in bed when Hjermstad’s genitals touched his foot. There was a third, undated incident in which the boy awoke to find Hjermstad lying on top of him, the charges say.

The boy told an investigator that the coach made boys shower whenever they were at his house if they wanted to play video games.

“The defendant was previously accused of sexual assault by a player he coached,” the charges say. “That case is being reinvestigated.”

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A basketball coach who worked at a Minneapolis charter school and a youth organization sexually assaulted a child athlete in his care, according to charges filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court.

Aaron J. Hjermstad, 41, of Brooklyn Center, was charged with one count each of soliciting a child and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The alleged victim was a preteen when he was assaulted in October and again in February while spending the night at Hjermstad’s home, the charges say.

The charges note that Hjermstad was a teacher at Mastery School and a basketball coach at Hospitality House Youth Development.

Emily Peterson, executive directory of Mastery School, had no comment other than to confirm that Hjermstad was no longer employed there. He had been listed on the website as a physical education and health teacher. The school serves grades K-6.

The executive director and program director of Hospitality House, a north Minneapolis outreach group that focuses on urban youth, could not be reached for comment.

Hjermstad did not return messages left at a number listed for him; he had no attorney listed. He was charged via summons, meaning he is not in custody.

According to the complaint: Brooklyn Center police received a report March 5 that a boy had spent the night a week earlier at Hjermstad’s home and was asked by Hjermstad to perform a sex act in exchange for money. The boy was reportedly sleeping in Hjermstad’s bed while Hjermstad slept on the floor. The boy’s brother slept in another room.

Hjermstad was planning to take the boys to a game the next day, the complaint says.

The boy told an investigator that after he was propositioned by Hjermstad he left to tell his brother, but Hjermstad ordered him to return to the bedroom or face being pulled out of the game the next day, the complaint says. Its says the boy’s mother reported that her son had been offered money not to cooperate with police. The charges do not say who made the alleged offer.

The boy also said that he had spent the night at Hjermstad’s home in October and was lying in bed when Hjermstad’s genitals touched his foot. There was a third, undated incident in which the boy awoke to find Hjermstad lying on top of him, the charges say.

The boy told an investigator that the coach made boys shower whenever they were at his house if they wanted to play video games.

“The defendant was previously accused of sexual assault by a player he coached,” the charges say. “That case is being reinvestigated.”

A basketball coach who worked at a Minneapolis charter school and a youth organization sexually assaulted a child athlete in his care, according to charges filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court.

Aaron J. Hjermstad, 41, of Brooklyn Center, was charged with one count each of soliciting a child and second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

The alleged victim was a preteen when he was assaulted in October and again in February while spending the night at Hjermstad’s home, the charges say.

The charges note that Hjermstad was a teacher at Mastery School and a basketball coach at Hospitality House Youth Development.

Emily Peterson, executive directory of Mastery School, had no comment other than to confirm that Hjermstad was no longer employed there. He had been listed on the website as a physical education and health teacher. The school serves grades K-6.

The executive director and program director of Hospitality House, a north Minneapolis outreach group that focuses on urban youth, could not be reached for comment.

Hjermstad did not return messages left at a number listed for him; he had no attorney listed. He was charged via summons, meaning he is not in custody.

According to the complaint: Brooklyn Center police received a report March 5 that a boy had spent the night a week earlier at Hjermstad’s home and was asked by Hjermstad to perform a sex act in exchange for money. The boy was reportedly sleeping in Hjermstad’s bed while Hjermstad slept on the floor. The boy’s brother slept in another room.

Hjermstad was planning to take the boys to a game the next day, the complaint says.

The boy told an investigator that after he was propositioned by Hjermstad he left to tell his brother, but Hjermstad ordered him to return to the bedroom or face being pulled out of the game the next day, the complaint says. Its says the boy’s mother reported that her son had been offered money not to cooperate with police. The charges do not say who made the alleged offer.

The boy also said that he had spent the night at Hjermstad’s home in October and was lying in bed when Hjermstad’s genitals touched his foot. There was a third, undated incident in which the boy awoke to find Hjermstad lying on top of him, the charges say.

The boy told an investigator that the coach made boys shower whenever they were at his house if they wanted to play video games.

“The defendant was previously accused of sexual assault by a player he coached,” the charges say. “That case is being reinvestigated.”

A Massachusetts youth hockey coach has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a player on his team, starting when the player was 14, police in Dracut said Monday.

Allen Pereira, 59, of Woburn, was arrested Sunday following an investigation by Dracut Police, the department said in a news release. Pereira was charged with three felony counts of indecent assault and battery on a person age 14 or over.

The investigation showed that Pereira was employed by a private youth hockey organization in Dracut during the alleged incidents, police said.

Pereira is alleged to have inappropriately touched the victim, who was unidentified, over the course of several years, starting when the victim was 14. The victim was also coerced to performing sexual acts on Pereira, according to police.

As of Tuesday, the suspect remained in the hospital and had yet to be arraigned.

Pereira worked at the pro shop at Breakaway Hockey Dek & Sports in Dracut, in addition to coaching a youth travel street hockey team that played and practiced at the facility.

“He was friendly, nice guy,” said Dan Braga, who plays hockey at the arena. “It just really is awful and I don’t know what you can do to prevent that from happening when you hire someone. You don’t know unless, I guess, they have a record. It’s a sad situation.”

Pereira was hired at Breakaway in 2011, and he worked up until about five months ago when a parent came forward with an allegation of abuse and then went to police, according to Breakaway’s owner, Casey Corcoran.

“We were made aware of the allegations and we took them very seriously,” Corcoran said in a statement. “We took quick corrective action.”

Pereira was fired.

“He’s been in my house a thousand times,” said a longtime tenant and friend of Pereira who did not want to be identified. “You think I’d have a pedophile in my house?”

It’s unclear how old the alleged victim is now.

“The suspect is alleged to have inappropriately touched the victim and allegedly tried to coerce the victim into performing sexual acts on him,” said Dracut Police Chief Peter Bartlett.

Police are asking anyone who may have more information on this case, or the suspect himself, or if there may be any other victims to come forward, as detectives continue to build their investigation.

Pereira was arrested on Sunday and will be arraigned in Lowell District Court on three felony charges of indecent assault and battery. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

SAN JOSE (CBS SF) — A youth soccer coach from San Jose has been arrested for sending pictures of his genitals to a 16-year-old girl, police said Thursday.

San Jose Police said Hector Benjamin Joya Jimenez, a coach for for Liverpool Club International Academy Bay Area, was arrested on Wednesday by members of the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children/Child Exploitation Detail task force.

Joya was charged with sending harmful matter to a minor – a felony – and misdemeanor annoy or molest a child under 18 years old. San Jose police spokeswoman Ofc. Gina Tepoorten told CBS San Francisco the victim was not one of Joya’s players.

Police said last month Joya befriended the victim and started communicating with her via Snapchat, sending her unsolicited images of his genitals on several occasions.

On Wednesday detectives obtained an arrest warrant and took Joya into custody in San Jose. He was booked into Santa Clara County Jail.

Joya was also a player with the Oakland Roots Sports Club, which plays in the National Independent Soccer Association, a third-tier professional league. In a statement, the club said, “Today, the Oakland Roots were disappointed to learn that midfielder Benji Joya was arrested in San Jose on Wednesday. Therefore, the Club has decided to release him.”

There was no immediate statement from Liverpool Club International Academy Bay Area on Joya’s arrest.

Anyone with information about the incident or similar incidents was urged to contact Detective Jose Montoya of the San Jose Police Department’s ICAC/CED Unit at 408-537-1381.

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A youth football coach in Florida who already had a lengthy police record is charged with multiple felonies after several witnesses told authorities he punched three opposing players during a post-game brawl in New Smyrna Beach.

Larry “Shawn” Cruce, 33, was released from custody following his arrest over the weekend on three counts of child abuse without great harm, Jacksonville’s WJXT reports.

According to WJXT, the incident occurred after Saturday’s youth football game between the Middleburg Broncos and the New Smyrna Beach Cudas.

WJXT reports that witnesses were split on what went down, as New Smyrna coaches, players and parents suggested Cruce was the aggressor. But that’s not how the Middleburg side remembers things happening.

Sporty Thigpen, a mother of one of the players who was at the game, told WJXT that she never saw Cruce hit anyone during the brawl, but she did recall seeing a parent of an opposing player attack Cruce.

“We did not see coach hit any children or parents or anything,” she said. “We did see a parent hit him.”

According to court records obtained by WJXT, Cruce has a history of arrests. In 2003, he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing on school grounds. In 2004, he was arrested on a lewd and lascivious molestation charge, which was changed to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

In 2005, he faced grand theft and criminal mischief charges. Then in 2007, he faced charges of grand theft and burglary. Duval County court records also show Cruce was found guilty of burglary stemming from a 2004 arrest.

“You have your kids going to a place where you’re supposed to trust adults, and you have someone who is trying to go after other kids? Not OK,” Michelle Lorditch, who recently pulled her child out of the Middleburg Athletic Association, told WJXT. “If I had done my research, I would have gone somewhere else. Do your research before you stick your kid anywhere.”

Walter Woodard, president of the Middleburg Athletic Association, told WJXT that his organization will have no comment on the incident until the police investigation is completed. He also declined to comment on Cruce’s record.

At one point, a parent told police, she saw Cruce yank an opposing player’s helmet off and punch him in the face.

According to the arrest report, another mother told police she wished to press charges after watching as Cruce punched her son during the melee.

Multiple witnesses told police things got so out of hand that Broncos’ players parents jumped in and physically dragged Cruce off the field.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Middleburg youth football coach faces multiple felony charges after several witnesses told police he punched three opposing players during a post-game brawl in New Smyrna Beach.

Larry “Shawn” Cruce, 33, of Orange Park, was released from custody following his arrest over the weekend on three counts of child abuse without great harm, Volusia County jail records show.

The incident unfolded immediately after Saturday’s game between the Middleburg Broncos and the New Smyrna Beach Cudas at the New Smyrna Beach Sports Complex.

Witnesses were split on what went down. Cudas’ coaches, players and parents suggested Cruce was the aggressor. But that’s not how the Middleburg side remembers things happening.

Attempts to reach Cruce were not successful Tuesday. No one answered the door at his home.

Walter Woodard, president of the Middleburg Athletic Association, told News4Jax that his organization will have no comment on the incident until the police investigation is completed.

DOCUMENTS: Read the redacted arrest affidavit for Larry Cruce

The episode began when several players got into an argument after the final play of the game, according to Cruce’s arrest report. Things escalated when a fight broke out on the field.

The Broncos sideline cleared as players and coaches streamed onto the field, a parent told police. At one point, she said, she saw Cruce yank a Cudas player’s helmet off and punch him in the face.

“Their team was winning so I don’t understand why they were so mad,” said Charmaine Winters, the mother of one of the players Cruce is accused of attacking.

That player told investigators he was removing his helmet when he was punched, resulting in an abrasion below his right eye.

Another mother, who told police she wished to press charges, said she too watched as Cruce punched her son during the melee, according to the arrest report.

One of the Cudas’ coaches recalled seeing Cruce punch three players, including one who was hit in the face and another who was struck in the face and throat, the report stated.

Multiple witnesses said things got so out of hand that Broncos’ players parents jumped in and physically dragged Cruce off the field.

What Cruce had to say is unclear. Much of his statement was redacted from the report.

Several witnesses from the Middleburg side said they saw coaches break up the fight. They did not, however, recall seeing any players attacked by a coach.

Alexander Beckett, the league commissioner, said there is footage of the game but noted it does not show Cruce throw a punch. He said he won’t release the video until he’s spoken with his attorney.

Copyright 2018 by WJXT News4Jax – All rights reserved.

By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor

Multiple news outlets in the Los Angeles area have reported that Bahram Hojreh, a prominent Southern California youth water polo coach, has been accused of sexually abusing seven of his female players in Los Alamitos, CA.

Sean Emery and Dan Albano of the Ocean County Register report that the 42-year-old Hojreh faces nearly two-dozen felony and misdemeanor charges, including lewd acts upon a child, sexual penetration of a minor with a foreign object, child annoyance and sexual battery.

According to the indictment handed down by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the assaults allegedly occurred between September 2014 and January 2018 when Hojreh was coaching at the International Water Polo Club in Los Alamitos. Prosecutors suggest the abuse took place during one-on-one coaching sessions between Hojreh and his players, four of whom were 15 years old or younger at the time.

In comments to the Ocean County Register, Ricardo Nicol, Hojreh’s attorney, said his client “adamantly denies” the allegations. Nicol noted that his client has no prior record of improper behavior.

“A guy that has been involved in the sport for 30 years, who has an impeccable reputation, who has been entrusted with hundreds, if not thousands, of kids, he suddenly becomes a serial groper in the pool?” Nicol said. “Hopefully the truth wins out. But to me, there is something here that is not adding up.”

The arrest was noted in an email sent last night from USA Water Polo CEO, Christopher Ramsey to members of his organization, the governing body for the sport in America.

“We first learned of the allegations against Bahram Hojreh from the US Center for SafeSport in January, to which the allegations had been initially reported, and promptly suspended Mr. Hojreh from USAWP membership, including his seat on a regional board,” Ramsey’s email stated. “At that time, the Center also noted the suspension on their public database while their investigation into Mr. Hojreh’s conduct continued.”

He further explained the Center for SafeSport was specifically established to respond to allegations such as those made against suspected abusers like Hojreh.

“We fully support the Center in its efforts and fully cooperate with the Center in enforcing any sanctions that the Center may impose,” Ramsey added.

The US Center for SafeSport is a national nonprofit organization providing education, resources and training to promote respect and prevent abuse in sport. Adopted in 2012 by the United States Olympics Committee, SafeSport procedures have become standard training for any professionals and volunteers working with the 47 National Governing Bodies and 34 Multi-Sport Organizations—with a combined reach of 73 million members—that the USOC regulates.

In the wake of the Larry Nassar scandal at USA Gymnastics, which has seen its senior leadership forced to resign as a result of mishandling numerous sexual abuse allegations against Nassar, the organization’s team physician, many U.S. youth athletics organizations have re-examined their procedures for protecting members from sexual abuse. In response to an investigation by the Southern California News Group, USA Swimming President and CEO Tim Hinchey acknowledged lax oversight of abuse that occurred over decades.

For USA Water Polo, which has previously avoided the scandals that have negatively impacted its USOC brethren, the Hojreh accusations are a serious transgression that will likely cause the organization to examine how a coach who had risen to a relatively prominent regional position may have sexually violated his players.

“USA Water Polo has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” Ramsey said in his statement. For the sake of the organization’s 45,000 members, it’s imperative that USA Water Polo quickly touch bottom on the Hojreh situation.

IOWA CITY — A prominent Iowa basketball coach was jailed Tuesday on a child pornography charge after telling investigators he secretly recorded his adolescent players undressing in an attempt to monitor their development.

The FBI took Greg Stephen, until recently the co-director of the Iowa Barnstormers traveling team, into custody after a judge signed a warrant charging him with knowingly transporting child pornography. The charge carries a minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to 30, in prison.

Stephen, 42, wore a Barnstormers T-shirt and jeans during a brief initial appearance Tuesday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids, where he was handcuffed and shackled. U.S. Magistrate Judge C.J. Williams ordered Stephen temporarily jailed and scheduled a hearing Thursday on whether he should be detained pending trial.

The Barnstormers cut ties with Stephen last month when investigators searched his home and cabin in northeastern Iowa and the allegations of secret recordings became public. The program, for boys between 5th and 12th grade, fields teams in Amateur Athletic Union events and is sponsored by Adidas. Several players who went on to play Division 1 college basketball have cycled through the organization since its 2005 founding.

A complaint unsealed Tuesday alleges Stephen’s former brother-in-law came across a USB recording device in a bathroom while doing remodeling work in Stephen’s home in Monticello last month.

The man gave the device to police after viewing digital video files showing teenage boys disrobing and entering and exiting a hotel bathroom shower. The man told police one player featured in the videos spent the night at Stephen’s home Feb. 16, and that Stephen became frantic when the device was missing.

Investigators said they found more than 100 clips of three players, ages 12, 13, and 14, stored in folders with their names. Stephen allegedly told investigators he made those recordings in a hotel in Lombard, Illinois, during a January trip to watch a Chicago Bulls game.

“He stated his purpose for creating the videos was for curiosity involving sexual development and adolescent development,” according to an affidavit signed by agent Ryan Kedley of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Agents interviewed Stephen at a family-owned car dealership in Monticello, where Stephen was the general manager. His father, Roger Stephen, who owned the dealership, sat in the courtroom Tuesday. He and defense attorney Mark Brown declined comment after the hearing.

Greg Stephen wasn’t paid for his work with the Barnstormers, in which he coached players and ran its administrative operations.

Parents of the three players confirmed the identities of their children in the videos, Kedley wrote. Investigators also found a video of a fourth boy disrobing in a hotel bathroom in Ankeny, Iowa.

Investigators continue to examine cameras, phones and computers seized from Stephen. Williams, the magistrate, noted that prosecutors have 30 days to present the case to a grand jury to seek a formal indictment against Stephen, which could amend or add charges.

Stephen allegedly said it was embarrassing and dumb to have the videos but that his only intention was “looking at how much taller the kids were going to get and how developed they were,” and he did so partly by observing their genitalia and body hair.

Pressed by agents, Stephen said he became “maybe a little bit” aroused while viewing the videos “in the same way you would be aroused when you view anyone naked.” Stephen denied ever making sexual advances toward current or former players, the affidavit says, and told investigators they wouldn’t find any additional hidden cameras in his possession.

Despite that claim, agents said they seized multiple covert cameras during the searches of Stephen’s residences. The complaint said Stephen’s conduct dates to 2010, but provides no details of any activities before 2016.

An Iowa Barnstormers player told investigators that Stephen shared a hotel room with him and two other players during a trip to Las Vegas in 2016. The player said he shared a bed with Stephen and was woken up by movements that indicated Stephen was masturbating, the affidavit stated. The player was stunned and said he never spoke about the incident until recently.

“We will let the authorities deal with him,” said Barnstormers executive director Jamie Johnson, who worked with Stephen for years and plans to continue the program.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A prominent Iowa basketball coach was jailed Tuesday on a child pornography charge after telling investigators he secretly recorded his adolescent players undressing in an attempt to monitor their development.

The FBI took Greg Stephen, until recently the co-director of the Iowa Barnstormers traveling team, into custody after a judge signed a warrant charging him with knowingly transporting child pornography. The charge carries a minimum sentence of 15 years, and up to 30, in prison.

Stephen, 42, wore a Barnstormers T-shirt and jeans during a brief initial appearance Tuesday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids, where he was handcuffed and shackled. U.S. Magistrate Judge C.J. Williams ordered Stephen temporarily jailed and scheduled a hearing Thursday on whether he should be detained pending trial.

The Barnstormers cut ties with Stephen last month when investigators searched his home and cabin in northeastern Iowa and the allegations of secret recordings became public. The program, for boys between 5th and 12th grade, fields teams in Amateur Athletic Union events and is sponsored by Adidas. Several players who went on to play Division 1 college basketball have cycled through the organization since its 2005 founding.

A complaint unsealed Tuesday alleges Stephen’s former brother-in-law came across a USB recording device in a bathroom while doing remodeling work in Stephen’s home in Monticello last month.

The man gave the device to police after viewing digital video files showing teenage boys disrobing and entering and exiting a hotel bathroom shower. The man told police one player featured in the videos spent the night at Stephen’s home Feb. 16, and that Stephen became frantic when the device was missing.

Investigators said they found more than 100 clips of three players, ages 12, 13, and 14, stored in folders with their names. Stephen allegedly told investigators he made those recordings in a hotel in Lombard, Illinois, during a January trip to watch a Chicago Bulls game.

“He stated his purpose for creating the videos was for curiosity involving sexual development and adolescent development,” according to an affidavit signed by agent Ryan Kedley of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Agents interviewed Stephen at a family-owned car dealership in Monticello, where Stephen was the general manager. His father, Roger Stephen, who owned the dealership, sat in the courtroom Tuesday. He and defense attorney Mark Brown declined comment after the hearing.

Greg Stephen wasn’t paid for his work with the Barnstormers, in which he coached players and ran its administrative operations.

Parents of the three players confirmed the identities of their children in the videos, Kedley wrote. Investigators also found a video of a fourth boy disrobing in a hotel bathroom in Ankeny, Iowa.

Investigators continue to examine cameras, phones and computers seized from Stephen. Williams, the magistrate, noted that prosecutors have 30 days to present the case to a grand jury to seek a formal indictment against Stephen, which could amend or add charges.

Stephen allegedly said it was embarrassing and dumb to have the videos but that his only intention was “looking at how much taller the kids were going to get and how developed they were,” and he did so partly by observing their genitalia and body hair.

Pressed by agents, Stephen said he became “maybe a little bit” aroused while viewing the videos “in the same way you would be aroused when you view anyone naked.” Stephen denied ever making sexual advances toward current or former players, the affidavit says, and told investigators they wouldn’t find any additional hidden cameras in his possession.

Despite that claim, agents said they seized multiple covert cameras during the searches of Stephen’s residences. The complaint said Stephen’s conduct dates to 2010, but provides no details of any activities before 2016.

An Iowa Barnstormers player told investigators that Stephen shared a hotel room with him and two other players during a trip to Las Vegas in 2016. The player said he shared a bed with Stephen and was woken up by movements that indicated Stephen was masturbating, the affidavit stated. The player was stunned and said he never spoke about the incident until recently.

“We will let the authorities deal with him,” said Barnstormers executive director Jamie Johnson, who worked with Stephen for years and plans to continue the program.

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