Softball Coach Charged with Sex with Minor; School Probe Under Way

Jeffrey Corey Apple of Imperial Beach, charged with having sex with a minor, was a coach and board member for Imperial Beach Girls Softball, league officials confirm. 

Apple coached for about five years and was a board member for another year, ending his time with the league in 2010, league president Juan Rodriguez said Friday. 

All coaches are required to go through the Amateur Softball Association of America’s background check, he said. 

An investigation is underway by the Sweetwater Union High School District school who deny claims made by Apple that he has been a coach of the Mar Vista High School junior varsity softball team.

The district says it has no record of him, and he did not go through a background check.

Apple, 47, was arrested April 19 on seven charges, including two counts of sex with a minor under 16 and one count related to inappropriate photos, video or other media of a minor.

He was arraigned Tuesday in South Bay Superior Court and pleaded not guilty. As of 7:10 p.m. Friday, he was still in County Jail with bail set at $275,000.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the incidents took place between January 2011 and April 2012. 

On Monday, the Sweetwater Union High School District’s Human Resources Department took over an investigation started by Mar Vista Principal Wes Braddock into claims made by Apple that he was a coach at the school.

The investigation began the day after district officials were notified of Apple’s arrest.

“I know a guy claimed to be a coach here, but he’s not on any of our records,” Braddock said.

Grace Sevilla, the district’s director of communications., said: “That’s a perception thing, but in terms of the district, he was not an employee or a coach. If they considered him that, it’s a separate issue.”

The investigation will seek answers to how long Apple was in contact with students and to what extent.

Also on Monday, Braddock called a meeting of softball players and their parents.

“The primary reason I did that is I know that this guy had made that claim,” he said. “I got that from the law enforcement officials that he was a coach on our campus, and the last thing I wanted was our parents to tune into a media outlet and be surprised by that.

“So I wanted to assure them that an investigation was ongoing, but I wanted to assure them district policies are being followed.”

Principal Braddock and the school athletic director William Olinger declined to comment on whether disciplinary actions were taken against junior varsity softball coach Dan Alonzo, a district employee.

Alonzo could not be reached for comment. 

Braddock said he found no indication that other coaches interacting with student athletes are doing so without going through the district’s required background check and fingerprint registration.

Clarification: In order to clarify Apple's time with the Imperial Beach Girls Softball league, his departure from the league in 2010 was added to this story.