Long Beach High School Coach Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Student: Report

LONG BEACH, CA — A former Long Beach high school baseball coach accused of sexually assaulting a student has been sentenced to prison, according to reports.

Gabriel Vigil, 35, was given a two-year and eight-month prison sentence and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life after accepting a plea agreement with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Long Beach Post reported.

“I would give you more than two years,” the victim’s mother told Vigil in court, the news outlet reported. “Two years is nothing and [my daughter] is scarred for life.”

Vigil was arrested at his Long Beach home on July 24 after a Cabrillo High School staff member told police earlier in the month that a female student “had been sexually assaulted off-campus by a substitute staff member, who was also working as a sports coach,” Long Beach police said.

Vigil, who was employed as a baseball coach with Cabrillo High School, is accused of sexually assaulting the girl between May and July at multiple locations, including his apartment, prosecutors said.

In an emailed statement to Patch, a Long Beach Unified District spokesperson said the incident involved "a Cabrillo High School walk-on baseball coach, who also served as a substitute groundskeeper."

The spokesperson said the district investigated the incident per its protocols, adding that Vigil is no longer employed with the district.

"We remain committed to maintaining a safe and supportive learning environment for all students and staff," the spokesperson said.

Four days after Vigil’s arrest, prosecutors filed seven charges against him, all of which he pleaded not guilty to during his arraignment, the district attorney’s office said. Had he been convicted on all counts, he faced up to eight years in prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Per his plea agreement, Vigil pleaded no contest to two of the charges — meeting a minor for lewd purposes and sexual penetration of a person under 18 — and the remaining five were dismissed, Long Beach Post reported.

Read the full report at Long Beach Post.