RIVERSIDE (CNS) - A former high school assistant football coach accused of having sex with a girl and harassing other students via social media failed to appear for a scheduled hearing today at the Riverside Hall of Justice, prompting a judge to revoke his bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.
Windell Jerome Thompson, 22, was taken into custody last year following a Riverside police investigation. Thompson is charged with one count of statutory rape and three misdemeanor counts of annoying a child. He was slated to appear for a pretrial hearing before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jerome Brock, but when the defendant's case was called, he was nowhere to be found, according to court minutes.
Brock immediately signed a bench warrant for Thompson's arrest, exonerating his previous $25,000 bond and resetting the amount to $100,000, which Thompson will have to post in order to be released from jail next time. The defendant's whereabouts were not immediately known.
According to Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback, in October 2017, detectives spoke with multiple girls, none of whom were identified, from La Sierra High School about their interactions with Thompson. The girls' statements culminated in Thompson being questioned and subsequently arrested.
``It was determined the assistant coach had been having inappropriate contact with various female students at the high school through social media platforms,'' Railsback said.
``It was also discovered he had (sexual) contact with at least one of the involved students.''The Alvord Unified School District employed Thompson on an at-will basis, and he was fired as soon as the allegations came to light, authorities said.
Thompson has no documented prior felony convictions.