The former volunteer wrestling coach at Black Hills High School in Olympia, Wash., Howard Frank Lee Jr., has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a student-athlete.
According to The Chronicle, Lee was charged on March 6 with two misdemeanors: fourth-degree assault and sexual motivation and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. He posted bail — set to $15,000 — on March 11, and his pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 7.
In a statement, Black Hills school officials said, “The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority. When concerns are brought forward, we act promptly to protect students and involve the appropriate authorities. We remain committed to maintaining strong safeguards and fostering a culture where students feel safe speaking up if something does not feel right.”
In February, student-athletes on the girls' wrestling team approached head coach Steve Kruger after an interaction between Lee and another female athlete that made them uncomfortable. At Black Hills High School, male coaches are prohibited from being “practice partners” with female wrestlers, but Lee was practicing with the victim and witnesses reported him being “visibly aroused.”
The victim reported that Lee “held the victim by her elbows in a way that she could not escape and said ‘I could bite your shoulder if I wanted to.’ He then bit her shoulder blade three times in succession.”
In the weeks leading up to the inappropriate contact at practice, other female wrestlers recalled Lee making inappropriate comments to them.
During his initial conversation with police, Lee admitted to biting the female student-athlete during a wrestling practice and to the inappropriate comments he had made previously.
Lee, who is also an assistant football coach at Black Hills, addressed the matter directly in a handwritten apology to the victim, ““I realize I have crossed a line with the coacher/player relationship regarding conversations that we have had. My intentions were never to cross that line and for this I am very sorry to have done that. This is something that I do take very serious and will never happen again to you or anyone else. I only seek to help athletes be their best at the sport they are competing in and create a positive team environment. I will do better and get any help that I need. I apologize again and hope that this will turn into something positive for everyone involved.”
