AUBURN, Wash. — An Auburn wrestling coach has been charged for allegedly sexually messaging a 14-year-old girl on his team and convincing her to send nude images and videos.
Daniel Ralph Lee, 64, of Olympic Middle School, is in a King County jail on a list of sex crime charges after investigators say he spent a week inappropriately messaging the girl near the end of March, before it was reported to the school.
The teen eventually told another teacher about the conversations, and that teacher reported it up the proper chain, which led to Lee’s arrest this week.
“While the defendant does not have any known criminal history, the State is extremely concerned about the defendant’s conduct in this case. The defendant was in a position of trust at a school to coach young students, and he abused that position of trust when he began to communicate with the victim, a child, about sexual topics and asking her to send him naked photos of herself,” prosecutors wrote in court documents.
Lee was booked for two counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and first-degree viewing depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Prosecutors asked that bail be set at $150,000.
The district confirmed to KIRO 7 that Lee is no longer an employee.
In a statement to families, Olympic Middle School principal Steven Lewis said:
We want to make sure the community is informed about incidents that impact our schools.
The Auburn School District has been made aware that a former wrestling coach has been arrested for crimes against a juvenile. Student safety is our top priority and we have been fully cooperating with the Auburn Police Department during this investigation. The person was only employed as a coach and is no longer an employee.
We know this is concerning and student safety is our number one concern. We have counselors and trusted adults here to support your student. If you have any questions, please contact me.
Auburn Police are looking for additional victims to come forward. If you have any information, call APD’s tip line at 253-288-7403.
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