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Central Catholic Says It Takes "Most Seriously" Abuse Allegations Previously Faced by Freshman Football Coach

Willamette Week
November 24, 2014

http://www.wweek.com/portland/blog-32499-central_catholic_say.html

On Nov. 19, WW reported that Patrick Jay Wallace, the freshman football coach at Central Catholic High School, had previously been fired from David Douglas High by John Harrington who was then the principal at David Douglas and is now president of Central Catholic.

Harrington fired Wallace from David Douglas after a 16-year-old girl who played on a softball team Wallace coached accused him of sexual assault during a 1997 tournament in Idaho. Charges were filed against Wallace but later dropped.

Late Friday, Central Catholic, issued the following statement to The Oregonian, in response to the daily's questions about WW's story.

Central Catholic High School Administration is actively investigating a disturbing report by Willamette Week newspaper, in its November 19, 2014 edition. The report describes sexual misconduct allegedly committed seventeen years ago by Central’s current freshman football coach while he formerly was employed by the David Douglas School District as a girls’ softball coach in 1997. The coach, identified in the Willamette Week article as Patrick Jay Wallace, is not currently, nor has he ever been, a member of the full time academic teaching staff at Central Catholic.

In 1997, then-David Douglas High School Principal, John Harrington, investigated the allegations of Mr. Wallace’s misconduct toward a minor female member of a softball team associated with David Douglas. Mr. Harrington concluded that the circumstances surrounding the allegations warranted Mr. Wallace’s termination as girls’ softball coach, and the David Douglas School District terminated Mr. Wallace’s employment. Mr. Harrington also referred the allegations to criminal law enforcement officials, and as the Willamette Week article notes, criminal charges were filed against Mr. Wallace but subsequently were dismissed.

In following years Mr. Wallace obtained other high school coaching positions. From 2006 through 2010, after Mr. Wallace passed an initial background check, he served as a volunteer assistant football coach at Central Catholic. Since 2011, he has served as a paid, part-time, assistant football coach at Central Catholic.

 

 

 

 

 




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