Legal Analysis By Attorneys
Breaking Legal News
According to Mercury News, a coach is facing multiple allegations of sexual assault while a coach with STARS Preparatory Academy in association with Santiago Charter Middle School located at 515 N Rancho Santiago Blvd, Orange, CA 92869.
STARS is an Orange County training center for middle school-age athletes. As a co-op, the facility shares space within the middle school to offer athletes the opportunity to advance their skills with additional training. In addition to Santiago Charter Middle School, it has been hosted in schools around the area, such as Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana.
On Thursday, August 11, 2022, 37-year-old Christopher M. Flores, also known as Coach Frogg, was arrested. Once listed as the COO of STARS Preparatory Academy, Flores has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor. After the Santa Ana Police received a tip, an investigation began against the coach. Allegedly two teen girls, one 14 and the other 15 years old claim Flores sexually assaulted them.
The 14-year-old victim recorded a conversation with Flores, her coach, in the STARS program. In the audio recording, he can be heard asking if the girl "deleted everything" before asking her out on a date. The victim claims that she was sexually assaulted by Flores on multiple occasions and in several locations, including at Calvary Chapel High School. The second victim made similar allegations to the Riverside County Sheriff.
According to ESPN, this is not Flores' first time being arrested for sexual assault. In 2009, he was arrested on charges of rape and sodomy while the coach at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles. The victim at the time was 21, and Flores was found to be not guilty. He is currently being charged with four felony counts of lewd acts on a child age 14 or 15 and two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object with a victim younger than 16.
Attorney contributor Mike Pfau is an experienced sexual assault attorney that represents victims in the state of California. Bobby recently highlighted some of the legal options available to victims sexually assaulted by a coach.
"The owners and administrators of athletic programs have an obligation to protect their students from sexual abuse. Additionally, any schools that choose to partner with the programs also have a legal responsibility to their students. Unfortunately, we have seen multiple reports of coaches charged with abusing their students across the nation. Too many predators take advantage of their positions of trust and power within the sporting fields. Athletic programs and the schools that partner with them must provide proper security precautions. Conducting background checks and ensuring security cameras are working is just a couple of ways to minimize the risk of abuse."
"Sex abuse in athletics programs is often enabled by a third party. This could be the agency that licenses sports. If these third parties are found to be negligent, the victim and their family can pursue a civil lawsuit. The officials could be further be held responsible if the coach was allowed to work with students despite a prior report of sexual misconduct. Victims and their families are encouraged to seek legal counsel from an experienced sports-related sexual abuse lawyer to explore their legal options fully."
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