A wrestling coach at an Auburn middle school was charged Tuesday with multiple felonies for allegedly sending sexual messages to a 14-year-old girl and persuading her to send him nude pictures of herself.
Daniel Ralph Lee, 64, was a coach for the Olympic Middle School wrestling team for two seasons, said Auburn School District spokesperson Vicki Alonzo. Lee, who lives in Seattle, was not a teacher and hasn't been employed by the school since the wrestling season ended.
The 14-year-old is a student at Olympic Middle School and had interacted with Lee in his capacity as coach, first meeting him at a wrestling event, according to charging documents.
"The defendant was in a position of trust at a school to coach young students, and he abused that position of trust," prosecutor Mylla Dawson wrote.
Lee was booked into a King County jail for communication with a minor for immoral purposes, first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and first-degree viewing depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, all of which are felonies.
Prosecutors asked for the bail to be set at $150,000.
"The defendant poses a danger to the community," Dawson wrote, "and the State is concerned that if he is released, he will continue to prey on children in the community."
Lee began speaking with the 14-year-old at a wrestling event before getting her phone number. The girl told detectives that Lee was on the "touchy side" and often hugged her at wrestling events and even kissed her on the forehead, though he had no other physical contact with her.
The two began texting between March 27 and April 4 about topics related to wrestling before the exchange turned personal, then sexual. Eventually, Lee asked the girl for nude photos, which she sent to him.
The girl told a teacher at Olympic Middle School about the text conversation and its sexual nature. The teacher then relayed the information to the school's principal. The 14-year-old's mother was notified and the principal called the police.
Lee was arrested in Maple Valley on Tuesday by Auburn Police Department detectives at a traffic stop.
He later admitted to communicating with the girl and knowingly receiving and viewing the sexually explicit photos. He also admitted to sending inappropriate texts to the girl and that he "liked the attention," according to court documents.
"We know this is concerning and student safety is our number one concern," Principal Steven Lewis wrote in a letter to Olympic Middle School parents Thursday. "We have counselors and trusted adults here to support your student. If you have any questions, please contact me."
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