(The Lion) — A Las Vegas high school football coach has been arrested on nine felony charges involving the sexual abuse of an underage female student.
Antwone Washington, the 45-year-old former head high school football coach and security officer at Valley High School, appeared in court last week in Henderson, Nevada. His case was originally set in Las Vegas but was moved to Henderson when judges in the Las Vegas Justice Court recused themselves due to personal relationships with Washington’s wife.
He was charged with four counts of using or permitting a minor over 14 to produce pornography, three counts of statutory sexual seduction by a person over 21, and one count each of kidnapping and contacting a minor for sex as a person of authority.
Court records indicate Las Vegas Metro Police found four videos of Washington engaging in various sex acts with the underage student on her cellphone. In one video, he allegedly urinated on the victim. In another, he allegedly raped her from behind while she was unconscious, handcuffed and gagged. And, at least one of the videos was allegedly filmed in his office inside the boys’ locker room at the high school.
Detectives say Washington admitted to his relationship with the victim, whom he met when trying to recruit her boyfriend to the school’s football team. During their interview, he said the “relationship was never supposed to be sexual and he only wanted to be a mentor.”
He also told them he thought the victim was 16, which is the age of consent in Nevada. She was reportedly younger than 16, although her exact age was redacted from the police report.
In addition to the heinous acts on the videos, detectives say Washington admitted he would “take her out to his vehicle for sex” during school hours and that he took her to one of his girlfriend’s apartments for sex. He also told them that while he’s married with children, he’s a polygamist and has three active girlfriends.
He also reportedly admitted to sex acts with his underage victim during his court appearance and admitted to taking explicit pictures of multiple students. Records say he told the court and police he liked to role play, pretending “that these girls are in his home and that he’s their ‘daddy.’”
William Rowles, the Chief Deputy District Attorney prosecuting the case, asked the judge to set bail at $500,000, citing Washington’s own admission, the shocking nature of his crimes and his abuse of his position in the community to commit the crimes.
“Mr. Washington was trusted with the safety of children in our school,” he told the judge. “I think it speaks volumes as to Mr. Washington’s position within our community when he committed these offenses. When a person is put in that position that he is and violates that trust, I think that speaks volumes to his danger in our community.
“It’s not a matter of if Mr. Washington is convicted in this matter. It’s not a matter of if he goes to prison,” he continued. “It’s only a matter of what he’s convicted of and how long he goes to prison for. Judge, is being a mentor urinating on a child? Is being a mentor gagging a child and having sex with her?”
“I feel like there is clear evidence that he is a danger to the community,” agreed Clark County District Court Judge David Gibson, despite the defense’s argument to the contrary.
Gibson set the bail at $100,000, and Washington was placed under house arrest, banned him from any contact with the victim or anyone under age 16, and banned from all Clark County School District properties.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Dec. 16.