Jonathan Xavier Cabral, assistant track coach at Foothill High School, was arrested by the Laguna Beach police after an investigation the 24-year-old man’s alleged relationship with a 14-year-old girl.
According to reporting by the Laguna Beach Independent, police, “charged him with statutory rape, meeting with a minor for lewd purposes, possession of child pornography and numerous other charges related to the incident. He was released on $100,000 bail.”
The investigation revealed that Cabral first met the girl online. The two also met in person for, “sex and other lewd and lascivious acts.”
At this time, Laguna Beach police believe there may be additional victims besides the 14-year-old girl they have already identified. It has not been confirmed if the victim was a student-athlete in Cabral’s program.
Cabral’s arrest is one of many similar incidents this year. According to a report NBOA, Business Leadership for Independent Schools, abuse from high school coaches could be linked to a “lack of oversight of the athletics department, and lack of training to prevent misconduct.”
The report went on to provide resources and tips for school leadership to reduce the prevalence of coach-athlete abuse. The main points include: a behavioral standards statement for athletes and coaches, incentivizing reporting misconduct, prohibiting retaliation for reporting abuse, enforcing standards, and maintaining SafeSport’s database.
At this time, Fullerton High School leaders has not released a statement about his arrest and no other victims have been identified.
