A former Canton City Schools swim coach is accused of sexual assault on a former student.
Samuel Seiple, 57, pleaded guilty Monday to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The former McKinley High School coach was charged after an eight-month investigation by Stark County Sheriff's Office detectives. The investigation revealed evidence that suggested the former student was not Seiple's first victim.
According to the Canton Repository, as part of the plea deal, Seiple on Monday admitted to engaging in sexual acts multiple times between May 2014 and November 2015 with the girl, who was 16 years old at the time.
Seiple, who was hired at the school in 1994, was sentenced to 180 days in jail but the judge suspended all but two days. The Canton Repository reports the judge, "hoped the two days in jail would help the Jackson Township resident understand 'what it’s like to be a criminal because that what [he has] become.'"
In court Monday, the victim said she doesn't want to live in her body anymore after the abuse.
"I feel so foul and vile," she said, according to the Canton Repository. "I feel so ugly and disgusting because no matter how many times I shower, my skin was still touched by him."
She also said she once blamed her self for what he did to her.
“I questioned myself in the beginning if this was my fault,” she said. “Eventually, I realized that I was brainwashed and held captive by his egotistical, manipulative and vindictive personality. ... I have now seen that I was clearly taken advantage of mentally, physically and emotionally.”
The Canton City School District released this statement to News 5 Monday:
On Friday, August 11, 2017, Sam Seiple submitted his resignation and the district accepted it. The criminal offense associated with Monday’s plea deal is unacceptable and inconsistent with our standards of behavior. The safety and security of our students will always remain our most important priority. We will begin looking for a high quality swimming and diving coach immediately.
