A New Mexico grand jury has indicted a former Team Summit ski coach for allegedly assaulting a young athlete in Taos.
On June 18 the grand jury handed down two renewed charges for first and second-degree sexual penetration of a minor, both felonies. If convicted, the 48-year-old Frisco man will spend at least three years in jail on the second-degree charge, as much as 18 years on the first-degree charge.
The local district attorney confirms the suspect is not in custody, but he has been ordered to appear in New Mexico court July 8. If he misses it, he will be a wanted man.
These charges stem from a Team Summit ski trip to Taos in March, when several young athletes were reportedly left alone in a cabin with the suspect. A police report claims the coach sexually assaulted a 9-year-old boy.
Original charges were dismissed in mid-April, but the case was not finished. Said the local DA at the time, charges were “dismissed pending receipt of further discovery and investigation evidence. This decision allows for additional investigation and/or presentation of evidence to a grand jury.”
Jason Jordon, the attorney for the victim’s family, has denounced Team Summit travel policies, wondering why juveniles were left alone with a coach.
C.B. Bechtel, executive director at Team Summit, said the club has doubled down on youth safety training for its coaches, including SafeSport curriculum used by hundreds of youth organizations.
“Athlete safety is and has always been our priority, and with that in mind, we are taking this review process incredibly seriously,” Bechtel said in a statement soon after the arrest. “We are endeavoring to take all possible scenarios that may not currently be covered by the policies and procedures in place into consideration.”
Krystal 93 will not be naming the suspect until he has entered a plea.