Ex-Tigers' Outfielder Chad Curtis To Fight Additional Sex Charge
HASTINGS (WWJ/AP) - Former major league outfielder Chad Curtis plans to fight a new charge stemming from complaints about his behavior with female high school students near Kalamazoo.
In June, the 43-year-old was charged with groping two students at Lakewood High School in Woodland where he was a volunteer strength trainer.
On Monday, Barry County prosecutors said another criminal sexual conduct charge involving another female student was added.
Curtis is now facing one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Defense lawyer David Dodge Sr. said Wednesday in an email to The Associated Press he'll argue for the new charge to be dismissed. Dodge says Curtis denies any criminal wrongdoing.
During a probable cause hearing in Barry County District Court in June, two teen girls gave their accounts of how the alleged molestation happened.
A 16-year-old said Curtis straddled her on a training bench to massage her abs, then pulled off her sports bra and rubbed her breasts. He also allegedly kissed her exposed breast in a separate, similar incident, and touched her crotch area under her spandex.
Another girl said she was 15-years-old when Curtis allegedly touched her in the groin area under the guise of trying to rehabilitate a knee injury in the locked training room.
He is accused of massaging the girl's buttocks, as well.
Prosecutors say the third accuser is 13- to 15-years-old and was allegedly inappropriately touched by Curtis on school grounds, like the other two teens.
Between 1992 and 2001, Curtis played for the then-California Angels, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. He won two World Series rings with the Yankees.
Curtis was poised to become the head football coach at Lakewood High School, near Lake Odessa, but resigned when the criminal complaint surfaced. He had been volunteering as a strength trainer at the school for about two years.
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