Search warrants used in an investigation of former Marlins of Raleigh coach Nicholas Walkotten show that Walkotten was the swim coach of the 15-year-old victim and suggest that police found photos of the 32-year-old coach kissing the swimmer.
Walkotten, a former collegiate swimmer and coach at UNC – Wilmington and YMCA of the Triangle, was arrested earlier this month and accused of having inappropriate contact with a child under the age of 15. His then-employer, Marlins of Raleigh, say they fired Walkotten and called police when they learned of information suggesting Walkotten had committed improprieties. Walkotten has also been suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, leaving him ineligible to coach athletes in any Olympic sport.
At Walkotten’s first court appearance, prosecutors said they had “photographic evidence” to back up their case, while charging Walkotten with five sex offenses: one felony count of indecent liberties with a child and four counts of statutory sex offense with a child under 15.
That photographic evidence has now come to light, per a report by ABC11. ABC reports that search warrants released this week show that Walkotten was the swim coach of the girl, a fact that hadn’t yet been reported. The ABC story says that the girls parents notified police when they saw her getting out of the coach’s car one day. The warrants say that Walkotten and the girl had met secretly in a parking lot earlier in the day and engaged in sexual activity.
Police found text messages on the girl’s phone – something prosecutors had already confirmed at Walkotten’s court hearings – but the ABC report says the phone also included a photo of the coach and the girl kissing. Walkotten has confessed to the crimes, per ABC11.
Get More SwimSwam with SwimSwam Magazine
SwimSwam Magazines are big, coming in at nearly a pound per issue. We provide you four massive print issues designed to sit on your coffee table like a piece of artwork. With your yearly subscription, you receive over 600 of pages of swimming’s highest quality print content, and another 5,330+ pages of digital issues, going back to the first issue produced.
He also swam for South Carolina
In Spain, France and Italy, female swimmers kiss male couches every day. Culturaly it’s saying hello.
What a loser
If he has broken the law, he should be locked up. On that note, when is Ryan Lochte handing himself over to the Brazilian authorities?
Are all these slimy creeps super dumb too? Seems to be photographic evidence in every case.
Agreed. Putting the morality issue aside, which admittedly is hard to do, it’s hard to fathom how someone like Walkotten can rationalize an eventual positive outcome from his actions. How do you convince yourself that there’s a happy ending to the story out there somewhere?
She took the photos so
It’s hard to know if this is actually more common now, or just seems more common because it can make national headlines or get onto a site like Swimswam. You would figure in coaches would have become wise to the dangers of allowing an attraction (even one that seems mutual) become something illegal and wrong.
Swimswam is not national news, and people are stupid and think they won’t get caught.
Awkward
To say the least….
Akwark? how about criminal!