Ex-Somers High School Coach Charged With Sex Crimes Against Student

SOMERS, CT — A former volunteer assistant coach at Somers High School was arrested by state police on a warrant Tuesday, charging him with crimes of a sexual nature committed against a female student-athlete.

Justin Perez, 27, of Springfield, Mass., was charged with risk of injury to a child, criminal attempt to commit risk of injury to a child, enticing a minor under age 18 via computer, criminal attempt to commit second-degree sexual assault and fourth-degree sexual assault. The first four charges are felonies in Connecticut, according to judicial records.

Perez was released after posting a $100,000 surety bond. He is due to appear in Rockville Superior Court May 23.

A heavily-redacted 29-page affidavit supporting Perez's arrest contained detailed interviews with Perez, the victim and several members of a Somers varsity team, which Patch has opted not to identify.

Events began unfolding in late 2023, when a 15-year-old girl joined the team. All team members were connected through a group chat called WhatsApp, where they communicated as a team. The girl told police Perez began texting her directly through the app, then added her on SnapChat, where the messages "became unprofessional and inappropriate after a short while," according to the affidavit.

Explicit photos and videos of a sexual nature were sent by Perez to the girl, who did not respond when he asked her to send him photos of her "hot body," according to the affidavit. A forensic examination of Perez's electronic devices by state police yielded photos that matched the victim's description of them, while no pictures of her were found on any device, corroborating her story, according to the affidavit.

Other claims of inappropriate behavior by Perez include him "grinding his hips into her butt" during practice and whispering "I know you like it;" trying to persuade her to join him in his hotel room at an overnight competition; attempting to kiss her in a school stairwell; and him telling her she would not have to run some grueling up-and-down stairs drills if she was willing to "do stuff," according to the affidavit.

When registration for winter sports began in late October, the girl opted not to come back to the team; she later told police this was due to being scared and uncomfortable around Perez, according to the affidavit. Upon learning this information, the squad's head coach notified a school resource officer, which launched the state police investigation, according to the affidavit.

In addition to photos and videos, the forensic examination of Perez's electronic devices included multiple online searches of numerous subjects, including:

• Enticing a minor Connecticut
• Age of consent Connecticut
• Sending nudes to minor in CT
• Adult child pornography laws Connecticut
• Adult sending 16-year-old inappropriate text messages
• How to pass a time polygraph
• How long after a restraining order can you buy a gun in Massachusetts?