A Man Who Coached Youth Basketball in Marin County Was Just Arrested. Here Is What Families in Any Youth Sports Program Should Know

Reviewed by Abuse Justice Center · Updated 2026-07-28

What the Arrest Describes

According to police, a 57-year-old coach was arrested and booked into Marin County Jail on three felony counts of lewd acts upon a minor, along with a special allegation covering abuse of a position of trust. Investigators say the alleged conduct involved a 15-year-old girl and took place in May 2026, with the arrest coming roughly two months later. He was held on $250,000 bail and was scheduled for arraignment.

Police have said the alleged crime happened in May but have declined to release further details while the case is active. The coach worked with a North Bay youth basketball program, which told families in an email that it had suspended him pending an investigation and that, based on its understanding, the incident did not involve one of its own program participants.

Why 'Not One of Our Participants' Does Not End the Question

A youth sports organization distancing itself from an incident is a common first response, but it does not resolve the questions that matter most for families: how the organization vetted this coach before hiring him, what training and supervision it required once he had access to minors, and whether anyone had raised concerns about his conduct before this arrest.

Those questions apply just as much to any program, gym, league, or academy that puts an adult in regular, unsupervised contact with children. A position of trust, the kind coaches, tutors, and instructors hold by design, is exactly the kind of relationship that a civil claim against an organization is built to examine.

How a Civil Claim Differs From the Criminal Case

The criminal case here will focus narrowly on whether this one coach committed the specific acts charged. A civil claim asks a broader question: did the organizations around him, the basketball program, any gym or school that hosted his sessions, or any club that employed him, do enough to prevent this kind of harm in the first place.

That distinction matters because a civil claim can move on its own timeline. It does not need to wait for an arraignment, a plea, or a verdict, and it does not disappear if the criminal case is delayed, plea-bargained down, or never results in a conviction at all.

What to Do if a Coach or Instructor Raises Concerns for Your Family

If a child in your life has had contact with a coach, instructor, or program leader and something feels off, even something you cannot fully explain yet, it is worth writing down what you have noticed and when, before memory fades. That kind of record can matter later, whether or not you ever pursue a legal claim.

A confidential conversation with an attorney who handles youth sports and institutional abuse claims can help you understand what to do next, including how to request records from a program about how it screens and supervises coaches. These consultations are free, and attorneys who take these cases work on contingency, so there is no cost unless they recover money for you.

5 Things to Know if a Coach or Instructor Raises Concerns

An arrest like this one is a hard reminder that any program built around one-on-one access to kids carries risk. Here is what matters if you have concerns about a coach, instructor, or the program that employs them.

1. A denial from the organization is a starting point, not an answer: A program saying an incident did not involve its own participants does not address how it screened or supervised the person involved.
2. Position-of-trust cases often turn on access, not just conduct: How much unsupervised, one-on-one contact a coach had with kids is often central to a civil claim against the organization that allowed it.
3. Delays between the alleged conduct and an arrest are common: Investigations into these cases often take months, and a delay does not weaken a later civil claim.
4. You do not need a criminal conviction to pursue a civil claim: A civil case against a sports program or academy can proceed on its own, regardless of how or when the criminal case resolves.
5. A free case review does not commit you to anything: Speaking with an attorney who handles youth sports abuse claims is a way to understand your options, not a decision to sue.

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