Name: Samantha
Email:
Posts by sspargo:
Youth coach sought in sex abuse case
February 28th, 2012In mid-November, local youth soccer trainer Arturo Cabrera Hernandez was arrested by the Roseville Police Department after allegations that he had maintained an unlawful sexual relationship with a girl under the age of 18.
He was released a few days later and given a date for his arraignment. However, on the day of his arraignment, Nov. 30, Hernandez was nowhere to be found, and a warrant was issued for his arrest by the Placer County Court.
Now, a couple of months later, Hernandez is still nowhere to be found, despite the best attempts of the Roseville Police Department.
“The Roseville Police Department has attempted to locate him at his previous addresses in Roseville, and, thus far, has not been able to locate him,” said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.
He is now one of 20 people on the Placer County Most Wanted website. Under a picture of the 40-year-old Hispanic male, the statement reads “Wanted for: Sexual penetration with a foreign object victim under 18 years.”
Before his arrest, Hernandez worked as a youth soccer trainer for Granite Bay’s Eureka Youth Soccer Club, as well as other clubs in the surrounding area.
Junior Marissa Hayes played select soccer as a child, and Hernandez trained her team for many years.
She said she was shocked and slightly disgusted when her father told her about the warrant for Hernandez’s arrest.
She admits, though, that during the years she trained with Hernandez, he never made her feel uncomfortable or uneasy.
“He was a good trainer,” Hayes said. “He trained with girls for a long time, so he got what we were doing. If we complained about something, he would be patient with us.”
Soccer trainer Simon Sheppard, a father himself, worked with Hernandez and couldn’t believe there was a warrant out for his arrest, calling Hernandez a “very likeable guy.”
“You always have to be on your guard, especially in this day and age,” Sheppard said. “When you are working with kids of all ages, boys and girls, you’ve got to be extra careful.”
Eureka Youth Soccer Club President Nick Perjenick said the EYSC is very cautious when choosing coaches and trainers. Every person on the field with players who is not a parent has had an extensive background check through the Department of Justice’s Live Scan program.
It was that program that alerted Perjenick when Hernandez was arrested. Perjenick then immediately suspended Hernandez from all league activity.
But the program did not, and could not, foresee that Hernandez, with no record of sexual deviance in the past, would engage in a sexual relationship with a minor.
“I think any time that these situations arise, it is a great opportunity for parents to have a conversation with their children to make sure that the children are aware that these types of situations can occur,” Perjenick said.
Because the police report hasn’t been released, it’s impossible to say exactly what happened between Hernandez and the minor.
However, it’s important for people to be aware that those close to children, like trainers, coaches and other mentors, are most likely to be the perpetrators of sexual crimes against them.
Stories involving situations similar to Hernandez’s are sadly not hard to find.
In March of last year, an Elk Grove youth soccer coach was charged with sexual assault of a minor after he was found engaging in sexual acts with a 16-year-old girl.
And in December, a Vacaville soccer coach was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy for whom he was a coach and mentor.
Granite Bay High School psychologist Angela Sanchez advises every parent to check in with their child when they have left him or her in someone else’s care, even if that person is a family member.
“A lot of pedophiles or sexual deviants typically will try to get the child to trust them,” Sanchez said. “Often it’s someone they know, like a coach or an uncle.”
This allows these criminals access to the child and better assures that the child will not speak out about the abuse. Often, the abuser will threaten physical harm to the child, or even themselves, in order to keep the child quiet.
Because victims often choose to remain silent about incidents out of fear, guilt or shame, 60 percent of sexual assaults go unreported according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, causing crime rates to be deceivingly lower than they actual are.
Sanchez said the first step in preventing sexual abuse is teaching children about what an appropriate touch is at a young age and suggests using dolls or educational videos to teach these lessons about privacy. Communication is the best tool that parents and educators have for prevention and remedy.
If an incident has already occurred, Sanchez warns parents not to put too much pressure on their children to share details but to give them some time to grapple with the event.
“Try to stay calm and be the strong person for (your child). Let them know that they didn’t do anything wrong, that no matter what you’re there for them to listen to them,” Sanchez said. “You want to talk to your child in a way so that they don’t feel guilty.”
Benefits of an early start in learning foreign languages
January 26th, 2012
In the European Union, 50 percent of the population is fluent in more than one language, compared to a mere 25 percent in the United States.
All nations in the European Union, in fact, aside from Ireland and Scotland, require students to take foreign language classes.
Instead of categorizing language classes as electives, Europeans consider these classes part of a student’s core and place special emphasis on language in the lower grade levels. Read the rest of this entry “
Unlocking the truth about Key Club
October 27th, 2011
No, the Key Club does not spend its bi-monthly meetings trading and comparing key collections: its members would more likely be found serving food at the Junior Grizzly’s snack bar or passing out necessities to the homeless of Sacramento. The Key Club is an international club run by Kiwanis International, a similar organization for adults, and dedicated to serving the community.
Read the rest of this entry “
GBHS boys’ lacrosse vs. Saint Mary’s
April 11th, 2011The boys’ varsity lacrosse teams from Granite Bay High School and Saint Mary’s High School faced off on Friday April 8th at GBHS. GBHS defeated Saint Mary’s 15-2.
Chris Denham was a key player for the Grizzlies, scoring early in the first quarter.
The Saint Mary’s team was next to score, but could only manage to get the ball past GBHS’ goalie one more time throughout the rest of the game.
The Grizzlies played well and scored 14 more points before the final buzzer.
Offering a helping hand in El Salvador
February 25th, 2011Former Granite Bay area resident Chelsea Willett sat crying in her college advisor’s office her senior year as an undergraduate student at California State University, Chico. Willett was overwhelmed because she was at a crossroads, with the choice of three possible futures; either take the LSATs, enroll in a Masters program, or join the Peace Corps.
“My advisor said ‘Do now what you can’t do later,’” Willett said. So shortly thereafter, Willett joined the Peace Corps. Read the rest of this entry “
Class of 2021: a glance at future high school students
February 18th, 2011
Meet the students of Nancy Bolyard and Karen Kuntz’s second grade class in the Eureka Union School District, also known as future members of the Class of 2021.
I traveled across Douglas Boulevard over to Greenhills Elementary School to meet Bolyard/Kuntz’s second grade class, and walked into their classroom just as the recess bell rang them into their seats. They all gaped curiously from behind their desks at – gasp – a teenager. Read the rest of this entry “
Photo of the Day: Feb. 16
February 16th, 2011
GBHS teacher Natalie Elkin explains an AP Psychology concept to senior Jenna Reese.
Timberwolves defeat Lady Grizzlies, 54-24
February 11th, 2011
Assitant Coach Craig Perkins gives the Grizzlies advice during a time out.
Granite Bay High School’s girls’ varsity basketball team lost their home match against Woodcreek High School, 24-54 yesterday, Thursday, February 10. Read the rest of this entry “
Photo of the Day: Feb 9
February 9th, 2011
GBHS junior Rebeccah Schmidt raises her hand to ask a question during Student Senate, where student representatives gather in the Learning Center to discuss issues on campus.
Girls’ JV water polo returns
November 16th, 2010 After a year off, the Granite Bay High School junior varsity girls’ water polo team has returned.
GBHS freshman Christine Dickson had never played water polo prior to her freshman year, and was interested in trying it out, but was disappointed when she learned that GBHS did not have a junior varsity team.
She expressed this disappointment to her mother, GBHS teacher Linda Dickson, who was immediately eager to help.
A junior varsity team did not exist mainly because there was not a sufficient amount of interested players, so Dickson began recruiting. Read the rest of this entry “
Ads
