Girls coach charged with lewd behavior
San Leandro wrestling head allegedly made inappropriate contact
By Ricci Graham, STAFF WRITER
SAN LEANDRO ” The girls wrestling coach at San Leandro High School has been charged with committing a lewd act against a child while the two were attending a wrestling match in December.
Dylan Souza ” who was placed on leave without pay after the allegations surfaced in December ” was charged by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office on Feb. 28 with one count of committing a lewd act against a child, according to court records.
Michael Martinez, assistant superintendent of human resources for the San Leandro Unified School District, said Thursday that Souza, 31, was placed on administrative leave on Dec. 7, shortly after a female wrestler complained that he had made inappropriate contact with her.
San Leandro police Lt. Marc DeCoulode said an investigation was conducted by his department and the report was forwarded to the district attorney’s office.
DeCouloude said the district attorney reviewed the department’s report and issued a warrant for Souza’s arrest on Feb. 28 ” the same day Souza was taken into custody and booked at the San Leandro Police Department headquarters.
Efforts to reach Souza for comment Thursday were unsuccessful.
The charge followed a nearly three-month investigation that involved a number of interviews, DeCoulode said. Administrators for the school district also investigated the allegation, Superintendent Christine Lim said.
“Without going into detail, I feel very comfortable with the investigating process and the reporting aspect of it, “Lim said. “I take this very seriously.”
Because the charge involved a minor, both Deputy District Attorney Robert Hartman and DeCoulode could offer only scant details. But according to court records, the incident between Souza and a 14-year-old wrestler occurred while the two were attending a wrestling match on Dec. 6.
The victim told investigators that she was sitting in front of Souza in the stands when Souza made inappropriate contact with her while rubbing her shoulders, court documents show.
According to court records, Judge Alfred Delucchi released Souza after he posted $60,000 bail. The judge also issued an order prohibiting Souza from making contact with any minor girl. Souza also is not permitted to attend any of the school’s wrestling matches.
Hartman said Souza is scheduled to report back to the Hayward Hall of Justice on March 24 with an attorney. He is expected to enter a plea at that time, Hartman said.
Souza was hired by the San Leandro district as a campus supervisor in April 1997 and started coaching the girls wrestling team in November 1997, Martinez said.
As a result of the incident, Lim said, the district is making changes to its sexual harassment policy.
“We’re going to be implementing the training program for all of the staff, “Lim said.
Asked if she thinks it is appropriate for men to coach young girls, particularly in contact sports such as wrestling where coaches are involved in a great deal of hands-on demonstrations, Lim said, “It’s certainly a question for us to consider.”
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