A swim coach in Washington state has been arrested and charged with molesting a 13-year-old girl, and authorities say the alleged action was recorded on surveillance video. Patrick Roland Hamilton was arrested this week and pleaded not guilty to second degree child molestation at an arraignment hearing.
The 13-year-old swimmer told her parents Hamilton repeatedly groped her during a training session, saying “I like touching your butt.” The local sheriff’s office says it has surveillance video of the session that is “pretty extensive and also backs up what the girl said,” according to a report from KIRO7 news.
Hamilton, 47, was the founder of the Kitsap Swim Team, which started up just two months ago, according to the Kitsap Sun. He was a former swimmer at the University of Washington, and had 10 swimmers on his team as of last month, per a Kitsap Sun interview that the paper says didn’t end up going to publication.
KIRO7 reports that Hamilton is also under investigation for similar accusations involving himself and a 16-year-old girl. The Kitsap Sun reports that he was arrested back in 2003 by an undercover prostitution sting and given community service to have the charge dismissed.
Kitsap’s bail was set at $25,000 and he will be barred from having contact with anyone under the age of 18 if he is released on bail.
unfortunately, if no formal charges or anything came from the investigation, to the extent of my knowledge it would not show up on the background screen. I have heard of a ymca employee who was facing similar allegations which resulted in no criminal charges but was dismissed from the ymca and immediately was hired by the other non-ymca team across town.
How could he start a team or even be coaching if he was already under investigation for a similar act with a 16 year old girl? Should that not show up in the background check?
Because it wasn’t know and the swim team he coached before that had fired him. Several parents were upset about this and still respected him. They left with him and created a new swim team.
I just pray this crap can stop. This is just repugnant to read. This is the worst of all possible world.