Mojave High School’s head football coach purchased marijuana for a 17-year-old girl he met online and was in a relationship with, according to Clark County School District Police.
Abraham Gonzalez, 41, was originally booked on one count each of felony child abuse, kidnapping and sale of a controlled substance, but prosecutors did not proceed with the latter two charges, Las Vegas Justice Court records show.
The girl, who dropped out of school in late May, was not a student at Mojave, according to an arrest report.
Gonzalez connected with the teen through a dating website, her guardian told police on July 19. The guardian said Gonzalez had originally contacted the victim’s older sister but began going out with the younger sibling instead, according to the report.
The guardian alleged Gonzalez took the girl to Utah and California “without my permission,” according to the report. The guardian said her daughter has special needs and is “very slow.”
The girl said she originally told Gonzalez she was 21 but recently told him the truth about her age, according to the report.
The girl said she had been to Gonzalez’s house four times and that he bought her a phone, according to the report. In an electronic search of about 2,500 text messages between the two, police found evidence that Gonzalez discussed buying marijuana for the teen, the report said.
The guardian told police that she had previously warned Gonzalez to stay away from the girl, according to the report. She accused Gonzalez of being in a “sexual relationship” with her daughter. A witness said she hung out with Gonzalez and the teen, witnessing them “French kissing.”
Before he was arrested, Gonzalez learned about the probe and contacted authorities, police said. He said he met the girl online and that she misrepresented her age, according to the report.
Gonzalez said he asked to see her ID, which she didn’t have, but that her family members vouched that she was an adult, according to the report.
He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 15, court records show. The child abuse charge stems from providing marijuana to a minor. It’s unknown why the other charges were dropped. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday afternoon said there was nobody available to comment.