Girls' coach involved in Sex allegations (*Updated)(**Updated)
**The coach has been identified as Trib's 2007 volleyball coach of the year, Morgan Coberly.
**Coberly also girls volleyball at Claremont Colleges and for a travel team based in La Verne.
**The travel team is also investigating allegations.
**The allegations apparently involve text messages between Coberly and a freshman member of the Bonita team.
La Verne Police are investigating allegations that a coach at Bonita High School had inappropriate contact with a student (perhaps a player) during the school year. The coach is on leave from the school, sources said.
This is from an article I wrote last April regarding the district's attempts to stem sexual abuse allegations (hardly seems like a year ago):
In 2006, Allen Avenue Elementary School teacher Debra Lynn Pence, 48, of La Verne pleaded no contest to one count of molesting Matthew Wanamaker. She received five year's probation and was required to register as a sex offender.
Just two weeks before Pence's arrest, Bonita High School math teacher Walter Babst was arrested in an Internet sting for soliciting sex from what he thought was a girl under 14.
Babst, 43, of Corona continued to teach at Bonita High for several days after his arrest by Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies. Officials said they had no idea Babst had been arrested until his attorney notified the district.
In February, Babst pleaded guilty to attempted lewd acts with a minor under 14, and possession of child pornography. He will be sentenced May 11, according to Ingrid Wyatt, spokeswoman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
"I think should have known who these teachers were," Cheryl Wanamaker said. "Whatever's happened to all stems back to (the molestation)."
In the 1990s the district lost two lawsuits after teachers Dave Dangleis and Jack Kelley, a soccer coach, were charged with molesting students.
The Kelley settlement ultimately cost the district $3.5 million in damages, according to court documents and published reports. Both Dangleis and Kelley served criminal terms. Dangleis now lives in Indio and is a registered sex offender. Kelley is a registered sex offender living in San Diego.
Comments
this is crazy. not again.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 23, 2008 12:42 PM
These types of situations continue in the Bonita District. The district just finished a major investigation with coaches allowing alcohol and tobacco on baseball bus rides for over 4 years.
The only reason these coaches at San Dimas got off, was because of Penal code 802…
OJ got off too, but was guilty as sin!
Posted by: Anonymous | April 23, 2008 10:15 PM
bonita should of gotten rid of coberly a year ago when they had the chance. but ketterling caved into parents whining and let him stay. when is someone in the busd going to take a serious look at these problems?? cannot count on administration at bonita high, they are all a waste of our tax dollars. that includes ketterling, the VP's and especially the girls AD
Posted by: concernedparent | April 23, 2008 10:28 PM
The coaches at SDH were supposedly sanctioned for their misdeeds, but my question is this, WHY are they allowed to be on that baseball field. The district has admitted that there was alcohol and tabacco on their school busses and field. Kids as young as 14 were drinking on school busses on the way home from games with the coaches there. Yet they are still on the field!
Posted by: Anonymous | April 23, 2008 11:37 PM
WHY is the question of the day..why was the kid from bonita high who was caught with tabacco & a knife on campus a few weeks back still on campus?? he was given a slap on the wrist and he is back on the varsity baseball team.. what a joke.. what happened to zero tolerance?? it all depends on who you are...
Posted by: anonymous | April 24, 2008 7:12 AM
I agree, it does depend on who you are. I think the district is going to finally step up and stop slapping wrists for such offences and do something! We as parents have the right to send our kids to school and trust that they will not be given tabacco, and be allowed to get drunk by those "ADULTS" we entrust them too. And it is a very good question, why is it that a kid with a knife and tabacco (tabacco doesn't surprise me, look to the coaches for that)is allowed back at school let alone playing again.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 24, 2008 7:36 AM
There was a group of bonita parents 2 years ago who tried to get rid of morgan coberly and the rest of his club west coaching staff, but they were dismissed by ketterling and holk as a bunch of complaining parents mad that their daughters we cut from the volleyball team. These parents raised serious concerns. I hope someone in the district is holding holk's and ketterlings hand over the fire now!
Posted by: anonymous | April 24, 2008 7:37 AM
I completely understand. For the last 9 months coaches Regan and Chip have been under investigation for being drunk at a team function, for using chewing tabacco and allowing players use and allowing drinking on bus rides home from away games. Polygraphs were obtained by two kids who were on that bus for 4 years to attest to these issues and they passed with flying colors. The district has admitted that there indeed was drinking on the bus plus tabacco use, but surprise, surprise those two coaches are still on the field. When it comes time to elect your new board members remember that 4 of them voted to keep these two coaches (for legal reasons) and one stood up and said no we can't put up with this. The one honorable was a past president of the board. All the others both ladies, the current president and one man voted to keep them even with all this information.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 24, 2008 3:22 PM
Crazy....NO...this is just what Bonita High School allows by trying to take any parent involvement out of of these sporting programs! We are told to talk to the coaches when there is an issue, but almost none of these coaches are willing to listen to any player or parent concerns. If you cross them, then your kid will be punished! This is why parents have sat back and taken all of this crap from these coaches.
These coaches act like they are above any rules and are "untouchable". It would be nice if Bonita High School administration would actually become involved in the girls sports programs, so they can see firsthand what is going on out there.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 26, 2008 11:12 AM
I just want to know, why is he still coaching at Club West? As a parent, I would not want my child near this man. He hasn't been arrested, but that doesn't mean he is innocent. He had very poor judgment and if it happened with this girl, are there others? What will it take to get this man away from young girls? I can't believe there are still parents supporting this man. Will it take him getting an innocent girl pregnant before they see what a horrible character this person is? I bet if it involved their daughter, they would be very upset and would not feel sorry for this man. I truly feel Club West is going to ruin their reputation by still having this man step foot in the facitily and still coach.
Posted by: Frustrated | April 28, 2008 10:40 AM