A guy was taken into custody this week for allegedly fondling a teenage girl while serving as the volleyball coach at a Miami-Dade County school, according to authorities.
Carlos Ismel Cruz Concepcion, 31, was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a kid aged 12 to 16, the Miami-Dade Police Department stated Thursday.
According to the arrest complaint, the 16-year-old girl informed police that Concepcion, her volleyball coach at Bridge Prep Academy of Village Green, sexually groped her over her clothing many times in 2023 while at school.
During the inquiry, investigators discovered that Concepcion was sacked as a coach at the same school for allegedly sending sexual communications to minor players and that he now coaches volleyball at Divine Savior Academy and 305 Volleyball.
On Wednesday, Concepcion was summoned to Miami-Dade Police’s Special Victims Bureau for interrogation. After being informed of his Miranda rights, he told officers that he did not touch the girl on purpose, but if he did, “it was accidental,” according to the arrest paperwork. Concepcion was subsequently detained and sent to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without incident.
Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer established probable cause for the allegations and ordered Concepcion to stay away from the victim and avoid supervised contact with minor children.
Glazer set bond at $7,500 for the second-degree felony of abusing a juvenile aged 12 to 16.
Detective Dorenisha Mallary of the Miami-Dade Police Special Victims Unit stated, “He photographed her in her underwear. She was fourteen at the time. He was sacked from the school after sending improper text messages to other students. There may be further victims, which is why we are reaching out to the community.
CBS News Miami attempted to learn how Concepcion could have been recruited by the Divine Savior Academy after being fired from his previous employment but was told there would be no comment.
Glenda Garrido, whose two children attended the Academy, stated, “As a parent, you are concerned since all of my children have participated in athletics. Currently, my son participates in school athletics.
“It’s worrying because you want to keep kids secure. You want children in an environment where coaches and teachers care about their safety. I admire the girl for speaking up because in many cases, kids do not want to come out and report what happened.
Nicole Yepez, whose sister attends the Academy, stated, “I believe the girl demonstrated a lot of strength. I feel terrible about what happened to her. I applaud her coming forward; she did a wonderful thing.”
Miami-Dade Police officers are looking for other victims and information about the case. If anyone knows anything, they should call (305) 715-3300.
Reference: Man charged with molesting teen while working as Miami-Dade volleyball coach, police say