UPDATE: Accused of sex crimes against students, former CVHS wrestling coach bound over for trial
UPDATED: Friday, June 5, 4 p.m.
See Original Story below.
REDDING, Calif. — The former Central Valley High School head wrestling coach who was accused of and later admitted to sexually abusing at least five of his female students last February has been has been bound over for trial on more than twenty felony counts related to the abuse allegations.
Stephen Lee Reed, 27, of Redding, was arrested Feb. 27, after admitting to “all the known allegations”, while being interviewed by Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Major Crime Unit detectives who investigated the student’s claims.
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Reed’s charges include multiple counts each of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, oral copulation with a person under 18 years, lewd act upon a child, penetration with a foreign object of a victim under 18, sexual battery by restraint, and annoying or molesting a child, Shasta County District Attorney’s Office officials said today in a social media release.
Former Central Valley High School head wrestling coach, Stephen Lee Reed, 27, was arrested Feb. 27, after admitting to multiple allegations of sexual abuse against several students. His arraignment has been scheduled for June 18. SCSO photo
SCSO Major Crimes Unit detectives began investigating Reed after several students came forward with allegations of sexual abuse that spanned two years, officials said the day of his arrest.
After the allegations surfaced and detectives contacted the school as well as Gateway Unified School District staff, Reed was immediately suspended and later fired from his position as a walk-on coach at the school.
Online jail records indicate Reed remains in custody, and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail or bond.
The matter has been set for arraignment on June 18, at 8:30 a.m.
Original Story: Central Valley HS wrestling coach arrested for 20+ counts of sex crimes against students
REDDING, Calif. — Authorities say the head wrestling coach at Central Valley High School was arrested after confessing to multiple sex crimes against female students Thursday, Feb. 27.
According to officials, 27-year-old, Stephen Lee Reed was a walk-on coach at the high school and district records indicate Reed successfully completed the district’s background check.
Central Valley High School head wrestling coach, Stephen Lee Reed, 27, was arrested Feb. 27, after admitting to multiple allegations of sexual abuse against several students.
Members of the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Major Crime Unit began investigating Reed Monday, Feb. 24, after several students came forward with allegations that the coach had sexually assaulted “a number” of female students over the last two years, Shasta County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit Sgt. Kyle Wallace reported after Reed’s arrest.
Due to the nature of the charges, the victims names were not released.
After learning of the allegations, the Major Crimes Unit immediately began working with Central Valley High School and Gateway Unified School District staff “to get this situation resolved as quickly as possible,” according to Wallace.
“Reed was immediately suspended at the onset of the investigation,” explained Wallace; while saying the school and district were cooperating with the sheriff’s investigation.
“The Unified School District as I put it on our statement is cooperating with the Shasta County’s Sheriff’s Office and their investigation and we will continue to do that,” Superintendent Jim Harrell said in response to the allegations and Reed’s arrest. “That’s our role at this point in time to assist them in anything that they need from us and that’s our goal is to do that.”
As their investigation continued, on Feb. 27 Major Crimes Unit detectives contacted and interviewed Reed, at which time he confessed to all the known allegations, Wallace explained.
Reed was subsequently arrested and booked into Shasta County Jail on suspicion of eight counts of statutory rape, four counts of annoying or molesting a child, six counts of sexual assault with a foreign object on a minor, six counts of oral copulation with a minor, one count of sending lewd material to a minor, one count of possession of child porn, and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Online jail records indicate Reed remains in custody, and is being held in lieu of $1,027,000 bail or bond.
Believing that more students may have fallen prey to Reed and have not yet come forward, the Major Crimes Unit has asked that anyone who believes they were victimized by Reed, or who knows someone who may have been victimized, to contact the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, Major Crimes Unit at (530) 245-6135 or by email.
Callers can refer to incident file number 20S005849 and can remain anonymous. Tips can also reported to Central Valley High School or Gateway Unified School District at (530) 245-7900.
This is a developing story that will be updated when additional information is available.
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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.