Former Fullerton Gymnastics Coach Sentenced for Unlawful Relation With Minor

Posted by CotoBlogzz 05-14-2010  05:00 PM

FULLERTON, CA  - Jason Wayne Scofield, a  former gymnastics coach was sentenced today to one year in jail and three years of formal probation for having an unlawful relationship with a 16-year-old girl. Scofield, 37, formerly of Fullerton, pleaded guilty to the court Feb. 23, 2010, to nine  felony counts. The maximum possible sentence for the charges is seven years and eight months in state prison, according to the Orange County District Attorney's (OCDA) office.  The OCDA's office objected today to the court offer, advocating that the defendant should also be required to register as a sex offender.

Scofield met 16-year-old Jane Doe while working as a gymnastics coach at Wildfire Gymnastics in Tustin. Between Feb. 17, 2009, and June 30, 2009, Scofield had an unlawful relationship with the victim on numerous occasions in his car and at his Fullerton home.

Sometime after June 2009, Scofield joined the U.S. Army and was sent to Arizona for his military duty. While serving in Arizona, Jane Doe's parents learned of the unlawful relationship between their daughter and Scofield after receiving an e-mail from a concerned friend. Charges were filed and a warrant was issued for Scofield on Sept. 18, 2009.

A few days after the issuance of the warrant, Scofield was arrested in Arizona. The defendant was living in Ft. Huachuca, AZ, at the time of his arrest. He was brought back to Orange County, Oct. 21, 2009, to face charges.

Deputy District Attorney Nikki Buracchio of the Sexual Assault Unit prosecuted this case.