Soccer coach charged with molesting player

EDINBURG — Donna High School soccer coach Edgar Flores was arrested Wednesday, after a team member accused him of sexual assault.

Investigators believe Flores, 31, gave the male student beer, waited for him to pass out and then forced oral sex upon him last month at a car wash near the intersection of Business 83 and Val Verde Road. The car wash is a hangout for many of the Donna High School soccer players.

Authorities learned of the alleged attack two weeks later, when the student’s girlfriend reported it to school officials, according to Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño.

“We have reason to believe that this is an isolated incident,” he said. “We do not believe (the coach) had a relationship with the victim.”

Several witnesses reported seeing Flores and the teen drinking at the car wash the night of Nov. 17, according to the probable cause affidavit in the case. Others saw them there the next morning.

However, no one claimed to have witnessed the alleged assault, Treviño said.

Deputies interviewed all other team members and none implicated Flores in any other inappropriate actions.

“We have seen in the past that other victims come forward after an arrest is made,” Treviño said. “But so far, this has not happened here.”

During an arraignment hearing Wednesday, the coach was charged with sexual assault and an improper relationship with a student.

Both he and his lawyer, Eloy I. Hernandez, declined comment.

Flores was suspended with pay when officials learned of the allegations last week, said Interim Superintendent Roberto F. Loredo. A final decision on his employment status will be made after the case is resolved.

“These are very serious charges,” Loredo said. “This is something the district won’t tolerate.”

Flores, who has worked for the district for four years, took over the varsity soccer team’s top coaching job this season. He also teaches Spanish at the high school, Loredo said.

Flores remained in the Hidalgo County jail Wednesday evening in lieu of a $150,000 cash surety bond.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts, law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.