Gates, N.Y. - He was a star athlete in high school, and taught basketball to kids at the YMCA before finally landing the head coaching job at Gates-Chili last year. On Monday, weeks into his second season, Coach Monte Nowden was fired.
He’s facing criminal charges for having sex with a student.
“It was a bad decision, it was a criminal decision,” says Gates Police Chief David DiCaro.
Police say on January 30th, Nowden went to the movies with a female student. While inside the Tinseltown Theater watching “The Descendants”, it’s alleged they engaged in two separate sexual acts.
Police say it’s not an issue of force, but one of age. He’s 38 and she’s under 17, unable under the law to give consent. “”He should know morally and ethically in addition to criminally-he should have known it wasn’t right,” says Chief DiCaro. “It’s a crime for an adult over the age of 21 to have sexual relations with someone under age 17.”
“It was probably poor decision making but it’s a bad situation,” says Parrie Wyatt, a student. “I feel like its being blown out of proportion.”
Wyatt has looked up to Coach Nowden since he was her coach. He taught her to play basketball at the YMCA. She is trying to keep some perspective.
“I know me and just about every kid at Gates-Chili we all looked up to him,” she says. “I know I still do because I know that he is a good guy.”
Nowden is also a teacher’s aid and is popular with students. Some of them rallied to his defense on Facebook and Twitter. “They’re very passionate about this whole situation,” says Joe Venticinqua, another student. “People feel there’s a disservice by firing him, and they’re not happy with the people involved.”
Nowden did not answer his door and did not respond to a business card left there early on Tuesday. He is out on bail.
Yesterday, one week after the alleged encounter, the girl told a friend who then went to a teacher. Police say Nowden made admissions and within hours he was under arrest and fired.
“He certainly has influence over the students in his care,” says Chief DiCaro. “That’s what makes it troubling.”
