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By LAURA KINSLER
The Tampa Tribune
THONOTOSASSA - A youth football coach is charged with having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.
Thirty-one-year-old Lee Chavis was arrested last week on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation. He’s out of the Pinellas County jail on $25,000 bail.
The girl’s mother says Chavis told her daughter he was 16.
The mother learned of the relationship when she found a list her daughter wrote of baby names with the last name Chavis.
Chavis coached 8- and 9-year-old boys for the Temple Terrace Youth Football & Cheerleading organization, which wrapped up its season in early December.
Temple Terrace Youth Football & Cheerleading is an independent nonprofit association that serves 11,000 kids, according to its Web site. The association contracts with Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation to conduct background checks on all coaching applicants.
Dean May, interim athletics director for Hillsborough County, said the department’s personnel recommended denying Chavis’ coaching application.
“He went before an appeals committee, which isn’t made up of county employees,” May said. Even if the applicant loses his appeal, the league still has the authority to let him coach.
“There might be a case where we approve someone and the organization can still say no,” May said. “We want them to be able to police themselves. These are good leagues that have been quality programs for 30 years.”
League President Ricky Hayhurst could not be reached for comment. The league includes the following statement on its coaches’ page: “Head coaches and assistant coaches are screened by the Football Director and approved very carefully by the Board of Directors. A high standard of moral and ethical ideals are stressed by all who are teaching the youth involved in our league.”
Michelle Jasinski, a member of the board, said the football director who approved Chavis’ coaching application is no longer on the board.
“This is a terrible thing,” May said. “It’s horrible. Hopefully justice will work out where he’s dealt with by the right people.”
“We try to be as thorough as possible – that’s our goal. You can’t always predict human behavior.
Information from the Associated Press is used in this report.
Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 865-4844 or lkinsler@tampatrib.com.
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