A former high school assistant football coach from Riverside's La Sierra High School must stand trial for allegedly having sexual relations with a student and harassing other girls on social media, a judge ruled Monday.
Windell Jerome Thompson, 22, was arrested last year following a Riverside police investigation.
At the conclusion of a preliminary hearing this morning at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge O.G. Magno found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial for Thompson on one count of statutory rape and three misdemeanor counts of annoying a child.
Magno scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for July 2.
Thompson is free on $25,000 bond.
According to Riverside Police Department Officer Ryan Railsback, in October, detectives spoke with multiple girls, none of whom were identified, from La Sierra High School about their interactions with Thompson. The girls' statements culminated in a warrant being obtained for Thompson's arrest.
"It was determined the assistant coach had been having inappropriate contact with various female students at the high school through social media platforms,'' Railsback said. "It was also discovered he had (sexual) contact with at least one of the involved students.''
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The Alvord Unified School District employed Thompson on an at-will basis, and he was fired as soon as the allegations came to light, authorities said.
Thompson has no documented prior felony convictions.
