EL MIRAGE, AZ — An assistant football coach and security guard at Dysart High School was arrested Tuesday and accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a student, the El Mirage Police Department said.
Nathan Jellicoe, 24, was detained and arrested while at school on Tuesday, Lieutenant Tim Mason, a spokesperson for El Mirage Police Department, said during a press conference late Tuesday.
He said Jellicoe was in the process of being charged with 10 counts of sexual conduct and two counts of luring a minor for exploitation late Tuesday.
Police said the inappropriate relationship began on Oct. 4, and that other students reported the relationship to school officials, who then contacted police.
Lt. Mason credited the students for coming forwarded and alerting school officials to the situation.
He said there were text messages exchanged between Jellicoe and the victim. He said police had interviewed Jellicoe, but declined to discuss what was said during those conversations.
In a statement, the Dysart Unified School District said it was "informed about an allegation of unprofessional conduct by a school employee" on Tuesday and immediately contacted police.
"The employee in question was arrested and will not return to any district campus. We appreciate our partners in law enforcement who are conducting the investigation," the district said.
"The Dysart Unified School District and Dysart High School take the safety and well-being of our students seriously. We take every precaution to ensure the safety of our students, including requiring mandatory and thorough background checks and fingerprint clearance prior to hiring any individual. We expect that our staff conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times, and any time there is a question of safety or misconduct, we immediately investigate."
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact El Mirage police at 623-500-3000.
