Former coach sent to prison for assault of teen

Published 10:51 pm Tuesday, July 29, 2008

MARYSVILLE — A former cheerleading coach is headed to prison after he admitted assaulting a teenage girl during a tumbling lesson last year.

Christopher Thomas Powell was sentenced Tuesday in Snohomish County Superior Court to six months behind bars.

Powell, 26, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in April. He has been in jail since last month.

Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Mark Roe initially charged Powell with sexual misconduct involving a 16-year-old girl. Powell agreed to plead guilty to the felony assault charge instead of going to trial on the lesser crime. In turn, he will not be required to register as a sex offender.

Superior Court Judge Ronald Castleberry on Tuesday prohibited Powell from having any contact with anyone under the age of 18. The judge also ordered him to have no communication with the victim.

“She is completely innocent of this whole situation,” Castleberry said.

Castleberry agreed to the six-month sentence recommendation made by both sides. Powell has no prior criminal history. The judge said a trial likely would have traumatized the victim and that the plea agreement spared the girl additional pain.

The victim’s mother told Castleberry her daughter gave up cheerleading since the assault. The girl planned to compete in college and become a coach. She has given up on her dream, her mother said.

Powell was a tumbling coach well-known in the cheerleading community, court records show. In January 2007, he started giving private and group lessons to young people in Marysville, according to police reports.

The girl began taking lessons from Powell in 2007. During one session, Powell kissed the girl and sexually assaulted her, according to the affidavit. The girl told investigators Powell later sent her a text message apologizing for his behavior. He also encouraged her to tell police she made up the assault allegation, saying his cheerleading career would be ruined if she didn’t recant her story, court records show.

Powell’s friend also was in the gym during the assault. He told police he didn’t see the incident, but that Powell had told him he’d sexually assaulted the girl, according to court records.

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.