Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Coach’s arrest on sexual misconduct counts prompts search for other potential victims

A Las Vegas soccer coach has been arrested for sex-related crimes with a minor, triggering a search for other possible victims, Metro Police said.

Marvin Juarez, 35, was arrested Sunday on four counts of sexual assault with a victim under 14, one count of unlawful contact with a child and 11 counts of lewdness with a minor under 14, according to an arrest report released Tuesday.

A 13-year-old boy told his mother that Juarez, his soccer coach for Atleticos Club Las Vegas, sexually assaulted him Saturday after practice, the report states.

The victim told detectives the first sexual assault occurred Thursday after practice at Juarez’s apartment, 1550 E. Harmon Ave., the report states. Afterward, the boy told police Juarez bought him fast food.

The victim said nearly identical sexual assaults happened Saturday after Juarez bought him soccer equipment, the report states.

Police located Juarez Sunday and transported him for questioning to Metro’s headquarters, where he claimed he was a victim of sexual abuse as a child in El Salvador, the report said.

Juarez told police he knew the acts were wrong based on the victim’s age, but he claimed he “loved the male victim and would never hurt him,” according to the report.

Investigators suspect there may be other victims in the Las Vegas area, Metro spokesman Bill Cassell said. Juarez coached soccer in a primarily Hispanic community for teams with boys 12 to 15 years old, he said.

“This guy had access to children,” Cassell said. “He had a victim pool for between one and two years.”

Police encourage any other victims to come forward, regardless of immigration status, Cassell said.

The situation, he said, also underscores the need for constant communication between parents and children.

“This came about because a child had the confidence to tell a parent what had happened,” he said.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or visit the Crime Stoppers web site.

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