| For Immediate Release Case # 09NF2655
October 22, 2009 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
FORMER GYMNASTICS COACH EXTRADITED FROM ARIZONA, WHERE HE WAS SERVING IN U.S. ARMY, FOR HAVING UNLAWFUL SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL
SANTA ANA – A former gymnastics coach was extradited to Orange County yesterday from his U.S. Army base in Arizona on charges of having an unlawful sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl. Jason Wayne Scofield, 37, formerly of Fullerton, is charged with two felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, two felony counts of oral copulation of a minor, one felony count of sodomy of a person under 18, two felony counts of digital penetration of a minor, and one felony count of sexual penetration by foreign object. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison. Scofield is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled for continued arraignment on Dec. 1, 2009, at 8:00 a.m. in Department N-3, North Justice Center, Fullerton.
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 is accused of having an unlawful sexual 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 sexual 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 yesterday, Oct. 21, 2009, to face charges.
Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Tim Craig at (714) 347-8558.
Deputy District Attorney Nikki Buracchio of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.
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