Former West Seattle soccer coach sought on molesting charges

Our partners at the Seattle Times just broke this story: Police are looking for a man who coached a West Seattle youth-soccer team until last November, now that he has been charged with child molesting and other crimes. 38-year-old Francisco “Javier” Valdivia-Enriquez, who coached Deportivio Moctezuma, is accused of molesting nine teenage boys, according to the Times. He reportedly has not been seen since late November and is believed to be out of the country. More when we get the charging documents. ADDED 12:37 PM: We have received and read the paperwork – read on for a summary:

Eight felony counts are filed against Valdivia-Enriquez, involving nine middle- and high-school students:

*The first count accuses him of giving liquor to five boys aged 13 and 14 late last November.
*The second charge says he had “sexual contact” from July 2008 to November 2009 with a boy who was 12 and 13 years old during that time.
*Third, attempted child molesting involving a 13-year-old last November
*Fourth, child molesting from September through November last year involving a 14-year-old
*Fifth, “communicating with a minor for immoral purposes” last July through November, involving a 15-year-old
*Sixth and seventh, child molesting last October and November involving two different 14-year-olds
*Eighth, attempted child molesting last August through November involving a 15-year-old

The charging documents say police first heard about this when parents of some of the alleged victims contacted them on November 28th about an incident two days earlier involving alcohol and sex. They told police it happened when Valdivia-Enriquez took the boys on an outing to Auburn to see the movie “Ninja Assassins,” and that he allegedly preceded sexual abuse by giving tequila to the boys on the way to the theater, as well as during the movie. After the movie, they said, they were taken to his home in Highland Park, where they were given beer, and where more alleged molesting happened.

Some of the boys also recalled incidents involving alleged or attempted molesting while being driven to soccer matches, or on an out-of-town game trip, with the then-coach. One boy said he never told anyone because Valdivia-Enriquez told him not to, and he was afraid because he had heard that the then-coach had a gun, which one of the boy’s friends claimed to have seen. The charging documents detail numerous incidents described by the boys.

An assistant coach took over the team in November after the allegations first surfaced; according to the charging documents, that coach recalled having talked with Valdivia-Enriquez about “issues …. involving his interaction with team players,” though the documents say “he did not know anything was going on with the players during (out-of-town) trips.” The coach told police he last saw Valdivia-Enriquez on November 28th, when the then-coach was at his house to give him team documentation, saying there had been an “incident” two days earlier that “might have been a mistake.” According to the coach, Valdivia-Enriquez’s explanation was that the boys had asked him to buy alcohol, which he did, and that while intoxicated, they were “horsing around” and that two of them had been kissing each other.

That was the last time the coach says he saw the suspect, who, it was later learned, had moved out of his residence and sold his cars. He reportedly was spotted in late December in Guadalajara, Mexico. If and when he is arrested, the warrant sets his bail at half a million dollars.

ADDED 3:06 PM:
We asked for comment from the West Seattle Soccer Club, parent organization for a large number of area teams including Deportivio Moctezuma. WSSC board member Tim McMonigle told WSB, “When we were made aware of this, we handled it directly with the police and our state governing body (Washington Youth Soccer),” which is now handling inquiries; we’ll be checking next with them.

6 Replies to "Former West Seattle soccer coach sought on molesting charges"

  • Dave March 23, 2010 (1:05 pm)

    Where was this guy previously living?

    • WSB March 23, 2010 (1:14 pm)

      12th SW, not far north from Roxbury, according to the court documents.

  • Caleb March 23, 2010 (1:34 pm)

    Noticed you guys have a picture of Deportivo Moctezuma in your archives. Guessing you’re not choosing to publish that alongside this post for the sake of the kids? Or some other reason I haven’t thought of?

  • M S March 23, 2010 (2:01 pm)

    I am glad this came out and it is being investigated. Right after Thanksgiving a group of parents met at a parking lot with someone from the local Spanish speaking channel regarding this issue and then chose not to speak out. Somehow nobody followed the lead or pursued it any further and it died there. Thanks to the Seattle Times and WSB to showing what professional journalism is all about.

  • cclarue March 23, 2010 (2:08 pm)

    How awfulfor these kids! What a creep. You must be very selective of who you give your trust to as a parent. Molestation comes so often from those we trust. Tragic for these boys.

  • ss March 23, 2010 (2:58 pm)

    Very sad. Thanks for printing the details because its a good reminder to parents to be vigilant. This is a sad case because at this age you would ‘think’ the boys would be a safe in a group. And you would ‘think’ there is no harm in going to a movie in a group. Although, after reading this I don’t think I would allow it with my child. It’s a reminder that child predators strategically put themselves in situations where they can manipulate and seduce children and young adults. And a reminder that the children and young adults don’t always tell. I hope that these boys don’t carry the burden of this being their fault. I also hope that this slime is caught and charged. The more stories like this that can be brought to light the better.

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