High school wrestling coach arrested in Thurston Co. accused of assaulting minor
Prosecutors have charged a first-year volunteer wrestling coach at Black Hills High School in Tumwater with two misdemeanors for his alleged interactions with a 15-year-old athlete: communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation.
Howard Frank Lee, Jr., a 57-year-old Tumwater man, was arrested March 5 and charged the next day, according to court records.
The police report gives this account of what happened:
The head girls wrestling coach approached the district’s Human Resources Director on Feb. 19 with concerns shared by two female athletes that something “weird” was going on while a male volunteer coach was practicing with a female athlete.
The student allegedly shared that Lee, known as Coach Skip, offered to fill in during a practice session on Feb. 17 while her partner was taking a break. He allegedly grabbed her elbows and told the student he could bite her shoulder if he wanted to, then bit her on the shoulder blade.
The girl also allegedly shared that Lee made inappropriate comments to her on Feb. 14 at a wrestling tournament, including about sex and pornography. She allegedly said Lee told her that if she were two or three years older, he would “do” her.
One student athlete allegedly told police that Lee would only wrestle with the one female student and that no other male coaches would wrestle with female athletes. As police asked detailed questions about his wrestling with the student, Lee allegedly apologized, and said he needed help.
The Olympian could not immediately reach Lee’s attorney for comment.
A no-contact order was filed against Lee that prohibits him from knowingly being within 500 feet of the 15-year-old’s home or Black Hills High School. Lee’s bail was set at $15,000, which he paid March 6, according to court records.
Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Tara Tsehlana told The Olympian that there isn’t a probable cause statement in the case. She said a probable cause statement isn’t typically filed in misdemeanor cases unless the basis of probable cause is challenged in court, and in this case, it wasn’t. She said Lee’s next hearing is set for 9 a.m. April 7.
The Tumwater Police Department posted a statement March 13 on social media regarding the arrest. According to the statement, the Tumwater School District notified the department’s School Resource Officer on Feb. 25 of alleged inappropriate behavior by a first-year volunteer wrestling coach at Black Hills High School.
According to the statement, the school district did an initial administrative investigation and determined the actions by the coach were possibly criminal in nature. The SRO then conducted an investigation that included multiple interviews with student athletes.
“The suspect has been brought into the Tumwater Police Department where he was interviewed and arrested for the crimes,” according to the statement. “The suspect was then booked on the two misdemeanor charges at the Nisqually Jail. At this time, we have received no additional reports of inappropriate behavior by this coach involving any other BHHS student athletes.”
Tumwater School District spokesperson Laurie Wiedenmeyer provided The Olympian with the statement the district sent families on March 13. The statement said Lee had been volunteering with the high school’s wrestling program during the current school year only and also served as an assistant football coach. He was not a school-day employee, nor did he serve or volunteer in any other roles.
“When the district first became aware of the concern, we immediately followed established procedures by removing the individual from all program activities and access to students and initiating an internal review,” the statement said.
The information was then referred to the Tumwater Police Department for further investigation, according to the statement.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students is our highest priority,” the statement said. “When concerns are brought forward, we act promptly to protect students and involve the appropriate authorities. We remain committed to maintaining strong safeguards and fostering a culture where students feel safe speaking up if something does not feel right.”
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