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Member ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 97 Joined: 8-May 09 Member No.: 912 ![]() |
http://nwitimes.com/news/breaking/article_...1cc4c03286.html Former LaPorte coach turns himself over to authorities By Christine Kraly and Marisa Kwiatkowski Times Staff Writers | Posted: Friday, December 18, 2009 12:05 am | (7) Comments LAPORTE | A former LaPorte High School assistant girls volleyball coach was charged Thursday with multiple felonies for an alleged sexual relationship with a minor, an Indiana State Police spokeswoman confirmed. And a Times investigation shows the charges could be a second black mark for LaPorte High School's volleyball team in the last two years. Robert Ashcraft, 45, faces two felony counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and one felony count of child seduction, state police Sgt. Ann Wojas said. The LaPorte resident turned himself in about 6:30 p.m. Thursday at LaPorte County Jail, Wojas said. Wojas was unable to provide details of Ashcraft's charges Thursday, including when the alleged incidents occurred and whether they took place at LaPorte High School, where Ashcraft had been an assistant junior varsity coach. Wojas did report that the victim was younger than 16 years old at the time of the alleged incidents and that Ashcraft was not involved at the school other than in his coaching role. LaPorte Community School Corp. officials announced Ashcraft's resignation at a district meeting Nov. 11, 2008. Jim Dermody, the school corporation's assistant superintendent, said Thursday evening that he was unaware of Ashcraft's charges and felt it would be inappropriate to comment. Other school and athletics officials contacted by The Times did not return phone calls seeking comment. In an unrelated case in March, the U.S. Department of Education found that the LaPorte school corporation unlawfully retaliated against a student trainer who reported seeing what he believed was a professional trainer fondling a female volleyball player in 2007. The federal agency's Office for Civil Rights found the corporation violated Title IX when it stripped then-senior Dan Vermette of his student trainer duties after he reported the 2007 incident. Vermette -- who is now a computer specialist in the U.S. Marine Corps -- reported the alleged groping to both the school corporation and an outside employer that helped fund the professional trainer's salary, according to the Office for Civil Rights decision. A school official told Vermette that reporting the incident to that outside employer was "incredibly inappropriate," federal records state. |
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Spends WAY too much time at CBTL ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Admin Posts: 5,171 Joined: 11-December 06 From: Indiana Member No.: 10 ![]() |
http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2011/0...af806968166.txt
QUOTE Ashcraft trial pushed back to late June By Matt Fritz Staff Writer Published: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 5:08 PM CDT LA PORTE — The trial of former La Porte High School volleyball coach Robert Ashcraft has been pushed back to June 27 due to a change of information on one of his charges. Prosecuting Attorney Robert Szilagyi said the change was necessitated by corrective information on Ashcraft’s Class D felony charge for sexual misconduct with a minor over the age of 16. “It’s basically how something was worded,” he said. “It’s not a new charge.” As the charge was written, he said it referred to acts before the victim’s 16th birthday, when it was supposed to be for sexual misconduct for a minor 16 years of age or older. He said it originally covered events from February to June before the girl was 16, and now it went from June to September after she was 16. But Ashcraft’s lawyer Steve Snyder said the charge, as originally written, only applied for a nine- or 10-day period of time. Now it is extended by three months. He said he learned of the change only days before trial. “This was the first I heard of it,” he said. “With three additional months I was totally unprepared for, it required a continuance.” Snyder said he had been prepared for events up to June 2008. He said this expands it to September 2008. Snyder and Szilagyi both said an additional Class B felony was also added within recent weeks due to the discovery of another allegation from the victim within the time frame before her 16th birthday. They said this extra charge did not cause the continuance. Ashcraft, 46, now has a total of four felony charges, including two charges of Class B felony sexual misconduct with a minor under the age of 16, one charge of Class C felony sexual misconduct, and one charge of Class D sexual misconduct with a minor over the age of 16. These charges stem from allegations that Ashcraft engaged in sexual activity with a female player. He resigned as assistant volleyball coach in October 2008 and, in December 2009, was hit with criminal charges. ![]() Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind~Dr. Suess
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