Crime & Safety
Preliminary Hearing Set for La Jolla Coach Accused of Sex Abuse
Vijay Prasad was charged with 13 counts, including sodomy of a person under 16 and lewd act on a child 14 or 15 years of age.
On Monday morning, local courts set a preliminary hearing for Vijay Prasad, a local fencing coach. Prasad is facing sex abuse charges for allegedly carrying on an inappropriate relationship with a high school student.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 30.
According to published reports, the defendant was a coach in charge of youth fencing classes in the recreation department at . Practice took place on campus.
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The alleged sexual abuse began when the girl was 15, and the victim came forward five years after the alleged sex acts.
According to the search warrant, a former La Jolla Country Day student told police Prasad had sex with her inside his car as many as 70 times, CBS 8 reported.
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A La Jolla Country Day official said Prasad ran the club sport on campus from 2002 to 2007 and has not been on campus since. In addition, the school said it ran a background check on Prasad prior to the start of the club on campus.
Prasad, who remains jailed in lieu of $200,000 pleaded not guilty in February. He faces 11 years in state prison if convicted.
–City News Service contributed to this report.
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