A basketball coach at a Simi Valley Unified School District school has been arrested for the alleged sexual abuse of two young girls.
Jabari DeShields, a 36-year-old from Simi Valley who worked as “an assistant walk-on basketball coach” at an SVUSD school was reported last month by someone required to do so, the Simi Valley Police Department said in a news release Thursday.
Mandated reporters in California can include school employees, health care workers, law enforcement and clergy, among others. The Ventura County Star reports the school in question is Simi Valley High School.
School district officials were unable to comment due to the ongoing investigation, but a spokesperson confirmed that DeShields is on leave pending the results of that investigation. As a walk-on coach, DeShields only served in that role, not in any classroom instruction, the spokesperson added.
Police said there are two juvenile girls who were targeted by DeShields, both of whom he met at a local business outside of school hours. Only one of them remains an SVUSD student, but both were at schools other than SVHS.
DeShields was arrested Thursday morning and faces five felony counts of lewd acts upon a minor aged 14.
Jail records indicate he’s being held in lieu of $120,000 bail at the Ventura County Main Jail.
Police do not believe there are additional victims, but they asked anyone with information to call Detective Kellyn King at 805-583-6913.
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