Having secretly installed a camera in the girls’ locker room and taking pictures of 21 students, a former assistant football coach at a high school in Southern California received a nine years and four months prison sentence on Friday.
A Los Osos High School employee named David Arthur Riden entered a guilty plea last month to charges of having more than 600 images of child sexual assault material, employing a minor to create that material, and secretly photographing a minor.
Riden will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life in addition to serving his prison term.
“Our Office is satisfied with the outcome of this plea, particularly on the felony charges,” the According to a statement from the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. “It guarantees Riden is held accountable for his crimes and spares the victims from a potentially drawn-out trial and additional emotional suffering.”
A high school employee discovered the camera in the locker room that was being used as a phone charger, leading to the man’s initial arrest last year.
Jordyn Stotts, one of his victims, and lawyer Gloria Allred gave a public statement on Friday.
“The game you played, Riden, was horrible. I talked to you almost every single day thinking how nice and sweet of a person you were, and thinking of you as a coach who loves his job,” At a press conference, Stotts said.
“But you’ve been acting improperly the entire time, which is disgusting.”
Allred, who is representing victims and their families in a lawsuit against the school district, said some parents found the sentence “very disappointing.”
“Although Mr. Riden will be sent to prison, some parents felt that he should be sentenced to substantially more time in custody,” Allred said Friday. “It has been an emotional rollercoaster for many parents and their daughters.”
On Sunday, a request for comment was not immediately answered by a Chaffey Joint Union High School District representative.
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Source: New York Post
