A volleyball coach accused of slapping a teenage player at a sports program in Marin pleaded guilty Tuesday to a child abuse charge.
Konrad Ott, a co-founder of the Absolute Volleyball Club in San Rafael, admitted to a misdemeanor count of inflicting unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering on a child. Ott, a 52-year-old Petaluma resident, was not required to attend the hearing in Marin County Superior Court, and his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf.
The maximum sentence under the plea agreement is four years of probation, said Judge Roy Chernus, reading the offer sheet from the bench. Chernus set the sentencing for May 15.
The victim, Grace Hodges of Novato, said she approves of the outcome, even without a potential jail sentence. She said the fact there was a criminal investigation should make Ott understand that he needs to change.
“It is a relief to know he’s not going to be back in the club having the same impact on other girls that he did on me,” said Hodges, 17, a senior at Marin Catholic High School. “Now he’s finally being held accountable.”
Hodges’ mother Marisa said her daughter’s perseverance through the case will help all the players who came after.
“He’s being held accountable and justice is served,” she said.
Ott declined to provide a statement about the plea. His defense attorney, Jessyca Hoagland, also declined to comment.
The plea came exactly a year after the crime. Ott was accused of striking Hodges in the face during a practice session at the club. A witness said he did so after Hodges asked a question he called “stupid.”
Hodges’ family provided San Rafael police with injury photos showing a bruised cheek with broken skin.
After additional investigation, San Rafael police booked Ott into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of felony child endangerment. He was released on bail pending a review by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office.
The prosecution decided on two misdemeanor counts, the one he ultimately pleaded guilty to, and a charge of corporal injury upon a child.
The volleyball club, which charges fees and travel expenses that can exceed $10,000 a year per player, has helped launch many players into elite college programs. After the incident involving Hodges, several players and parents said Ott had a history of volatility and oral abuse against players.
Ott stepped down from coaching at the club after his arrest. A former coach at Marin Catholic, he started the club about 20 years ago with his wife Katie Pease, who used to coach at Redwood High School.
Pease remains a co-director of the club along with Jake Spain, a club coach who was promoted upon Ott’s exit. Spain is a former volleyball coach at Marin Catholic.
Ott remains under investigation by U.S. Center for SafeSport, a nonprofit authorized by Congress to address abuses against amateur athletes. The organization has temporarily suspended him from coaching players in USA Volleyball, the governing body for the sport.
The potential penalties against Ott range from a written warning to permanent banishment from coaching. Representatives of SafeSport did not respond to an inquiry Tuesday about the status of its investigation.
Source: www.mercurynews.com