NewsLocal NewsLorain County

Actions

Volunteer coach at Lake Ridge Academy arrested for alleged sexual battery of a student

Handcuffs jail cell.jpeg
Posted at 1:22 PM, May 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-07 13:22:24-04

NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio — A volunteer coach at Lake Ridge Academy in North Ridgeville was arrested this week for the alleged sexual battery of a student last year.

Jason A. Dimacchia, 38, is charged with three counts of sexual battery, all third-degree felonies, according to Elyria Municipal Court records.

A North Ridgeville police report states that an officer was sent to the school on Monday for a report of a student who had been sexually assaulted. The report states the student said she was raped in December 2020.

According to the school, Dimacchia worked as a paid coach during the 2017-2018 school year. Following that, he became a volunteer coach.

"We are cooperating fully with authorities and will continue to do so. State and federal laws prevent us from offering further information," school officials said. "Our students’ health, safety and welfare are our top priorities at Lake Ridge Academy."

Dimacchia was arrested and later released after posting a $30,000 bond. He has a court hearing scheduled on May 12.

"Counselors with the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, school counselors and staff will be available this week and going forward, as necessary, to offer support," school officials said.

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.