By Matt Fredmonsky
Record-Courier staff writer
A Mogadore assistant girls basketball coach will appear in an Akron court this morning on charges he was sexually involved with a district high school student.
Raymond Barry III, 24, of Mogadore is set to appear at 8:30 this morning after Mogadore police arrested him Monday and charged him with one count of sexual battery, a third-degree felony.
According to Mogadore police, Barry was a paid, part-time assistant coach accused of being involved in a brief consensual relationship that involved intercourse with a 16-year-old female. The student attends the school district but she is not a member of the basketball team, according to a police press release.
Mogadore Superintendent Terry Byers confirmed in a prepared statement Barry was employed by the district as an assistant girl's basketball coach.
Byers said the district immediately suspended Barry when officials first heard the allegations.
"He was suspended from his duties on Jan. 23, and he is not a teacher in the school district," Byers said.
Barry had been working for the district for about four years, Byers said. Coaches are employed on yearly contracts. The superintendent said he was unaware of any other allegations and declined to comment further.
Mogadore Police Detective Lt. Todd Higgins said he first heard the accusations on Jan. 21. He did not say how he learned of the relationship, but added he began looking into it further within minutes of interviewing the alleged juvenile victim.
"There are already rumors going through the school on how this came out," Higgins said.
Rich Brumbaugh, the high school's athletic director, declined to comment on Barry's position with the district.
Barry was released from the Summit County Jail Monday on a $1,045 bond after his arraignment, according to Akron court records.