A Carlsbad, Calif., water polo coach and North County school counselor was arraigned on four charges Monday related to sex acts with a minor.
Conner Chanove, 27, appeared in Vista Superior Court following his arrest last week for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old girl at an Oceanside park.
Chanove pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under 14, one count of luring a minor for sex and one count of arranging a meeting with a minor.
Chanove worked as a water polo coach at the all-girls Seaside Water Polo Club based in Carlsbad, and was also a lifeguard for the cities of Carlsbad and Encinitas.
His primary employment came with the Vista Unified School District, having worked at the school where the victim attended as a part-time substitute teacher, counselor and instructional aide.
Deputy District Attorney Jessica Stehl, who is prosecuting the case for the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, revealed further details in court about the incident and Chanove’s relationship with the child.
On Nov. 18, the mother of the 13-year-old girl allegedly found her daughter with Chanove in the backseat of his parked car at Guajome Regional Park in Oceanside. His pants were down when the mother arrived, according to Stehl.
The girl later disclosed that she touched Chanove’s penis and also kissed him.
Chanove was arrested two days later by the Oceanside Police Department, which continues to investigate the case. They also found Snapchat messages between the two, though they’ve yet to determine how long the communication has been going on.
Chanove has been released on $325,000 bail—lowered from the initial $1 million—with conditions including him having to wear a GPS monitoring device and being prohibited from going within 15 feet of anyone under the age of 18, making direct or indirect contact with anyone under the age of 18 and going on any school grounds.
He was also issued a protective order prohibiting him from making any contact with the girl and going within 100 yards of her school.
The Seaside Water Polo Club said last week that Chanove has been suspended, and Vista Unified said he is not allowed on any district campus, according to The Coast News.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8.
WTF.