Douglas County Pop Warner board member, coach arrested for soliciting prostitution; leadership silent
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Thu, 07/11/2024 - 12:03pm
Douglas County Pop Warner parents are concerned about the board's silence after it was revealed a member of the board was recently arrested for soliciting prostitution.
A member of the Douglas Pop Warner’s board/football coach was arrested in Reno on June 1, 2024 for soliciting a prostitute, a misdemeanor crime. It is Carson Now's policy not to name suspects arrested below the felony level.
According to the arrest report, the board member was arrested at 3:25 p.m. during a prostitution sting conducted by the Washoe County HEAT team.
As part of the sting, an ad was posted on a prostitution website with sex services listed. The board member contacted the undercover officer requesting a prostitution date for $75, according to the arrest report.
The board member drove from Lake Tahoe to Reno for the date. At a number of points during contact with the undercover agent, the board member stated he was concerned his date was an undercover operation. However, he still came to the hotel where he was then apprehended. During an interview, he admitted to soliciting the undercover agent for prostitution based off of the advertisement. He said he was looking for a “QV” or “quick visit” for $75, and while he found the ad on a prositution website, he said he “hadn’t been on the site for a long time.” He was arrested for customer solicit/engage in prostitution.
A parent involved with the Douglas County Pop Warner team reached out to Carson Now stating that while the Pop Warner leadership team was aware of the board member's arrest, they had chosen not to take any action.
The parent said they were concerned that the board is refusing to take action because they "care more about money than the kids."
While there is no specific regulation against criminal activity within the national Pop Warner rulebook, there is a rule against engaging in activities that may “embarrass” the organization:
(Pop Warner coaches, administrators and other program volunteers shall) refrain from engaging in any action within or outside Pop Warner which in PWLS sole & absolute discretion reflects negatively upon, or causes embarrassment to, the Pop Warner program.
Last year, the Carson City Pop Warner Football and Cheer organization also made headlines after it was revealed that a known child sexual abuser was attending games and practices regularly.
At the time Carson Now reached out to Douglas County Pop Warner as to whether or not the coach is still associated with the organization, he was still listed as a board member on their website. While Pop Warner did not respond to comment, the website, https://www.douglaspopwarner.com/, appears to have been taken down shortly after as the site is no longer functioning.
Updates to follow when new information is available.
