Parents increasing vigilance after recent arrests of youth sports coaches

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — After Montgomery County Police officials announced Thursday they had arrested a youth baseball coach for sexual abuse of a minor – a player he was coaching, in fact – parents told 7News they are exercising more vigilance.

Officers arrested Damon Junior Cruz, 32, earlier this month, charging him with sexual abuse of a minor and displaying obscene material to a minor. The alleged assaults happened between November 2021 and February 2024.

Detectives believe there could be additional victims of Cruz, and are asking them to come forward.

7News spoke with parents at a youth baseball game Thursday night. Cruz was not the coach for the teams of these parents’ children.

“It’s scary. Our kids play a lot of sports. You certainly hope these leagues are going to vet people who are coaching and interacting with our kids,” said Stacie Duffy. “Your kids are left alone in a situation where they’re with those coaches – whether it’s practice or after practice, or waiting to be picked up.”

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Barbara Becker added: “You trust your kids with the adults in their life and the adults who are supposed to protect them, and take care of them. A coach definitely falls under that category. When you hear something like this, you think twice.”

This is the second time this week police are asking for potential victims of a coach to come forward.

Earlier this week, Virginia State Police stated their investigation into Jason Fragale, 38, revealed he went by another name – Jason Mariani.

Fragale was a cheerleading coach with ties to Reston-based “The Crimson All-Star Cheerleading Club.” He had already been in custody after officers arrested him in late April for five counts each of child pornography possession and reproduction of child pornography.

“I don’t think they tell the parents enough. I think you probably do need to start asking those questions and see if background checks are being done,” Duffy said.

Members of Washington, D.C.’s team of prosecutors who handle crimes against children told 7News’ Scott Thuman in an exclusive sit-down interview that situations like the ones found in these two cases are common.

“I think the biggest misconception of this world is that the people that we need to be afraid of are the people jumping out of bushes, the ‘stranger danger’ situation. I think what we typically see in the overwhelming majority of these cases is that the people who are committing these crimes are people who everybody trusts. Someone who is a family member a next-door neighbor, a teacher – someone who has not just gained the child’s trust but the parent’s trust as well – so that they have unfettered access to this child,” said Janani Iyengar, who is the U.S. Attorney’s Office deputy chief for the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Unit.

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These prosecutors also said there are challenges to tracking down all victims of these crimes.

“A lot of these children, these victims carry a lot of shame and guilt, especially about the images and videos, which makes it hard for them to disclose what’s happening. They feel like it’s their fault,” said Caroline Burrell, who is a Senior Assistant U.S. Attorney and the office’s Human Trafficking Coordinator.

7News On Your Side asked Montgomery County Police the following questions:

1. Do you have tips for parents on how to do background checks for coaches, teachers, and other adults who may be part of their children’s lives?
2. What is the best way to talk to your children to see if they have been a victim of such crimes?

A spokesperson provided the following answers:

1. Private security companies sometimes do background searches. MD Court Case Search is easiest and quickest.
2. It starts with a trusting, loving relationship with your child, encouraging them that nobody should ever touch you or speak to you in any sexual manner. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not right, tell your parents. Empower your children to share about “highlights and lowlights” from their day on a regular basis (for example: at the dinner table). These are just the basics. Kids have to know that trusted adults are never to cross boundaries and parents should give examples of what these boundaries are.

Parents told 7News they are now on higher alert after learning about these two cases.

“I think you just have to ask questions and I think you need to ask your kids, too,” Duffy said. “Have they ever experienced something that made them concerned?”

Becker added: “You really gotta do your research and make sure good word of mouth, talk to other parents who have had experiences with them.”