Wrestling coaches arrested on child porn charges
Two wrestling coaches from Portage Area High School in Cambria County were arrested Friday after being charged with child pornography and corruption of minors.
The state attorney general’s office said Michael Fox, of Cresson, Cambria County, the team’s head coach and a teacher, and Bradley Rousell, of Portage, Cambria County, the team’s assistant coach, were arrested after an investigation that began with a tip through the Safe2Say program. Both were taken to Allegheny County Jail, where Mr. Fox is still being held. Mr. Rousell was released after he posted bail on Friday, according to court documents.
Both men are being accused of requesting to see and view naked images of minor girls that wrestling team members had on their cellphones. The images of naked girls were shared “on several occasions” during the 2018 and 2019 annual West Mifflin Wrestling Tournament in December as a “mandatory team bonding meeting” in one of the coach’s hotel rooms, according to a statement from the AG’s office.
Both coaches allegedly would pressure studentathletes to bring photos of underage female classmates “several days or weeks in advance” of the tournament. Mr. Fox and Mr. Rousell would both ask their athletes if they “got pics” and “they should better get them ready,” according to the statement.
According to investigators, two students disclosed how Mr. Fox repeatedly asked both of them to specifically get images of a female student for Mr. Fox’s own viewing. Both coaches would also ask their athletes to confirm the identities of the individuals in the photos. This sharing of photos of minors has been considered a tradition, according to both current and former varsity wrestlers, according to the statement.
In addition to sharing photos during the team meetings, Mr. Fox and Mr. Rousell would “discuss very specific details” about sexual encounters they had with women and would ask their students about their sexual encounters, the statement said. Mr. Rousell often would characterize the West Mifflin Wrestling Tournament as a time “where boys become men” in reference to sharing photos of naked girls and discussing sexual encounters, according to the AG’s office.
“What these coaches did was not only an abuse of power, but a violation of trust to the faculty and students at Portage High School,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement.
Portage Area School District Superintendent Eric Zelanko said school officials reached out to law enforcement for assistance after being notified of the allegations from the Safe2Say hotline on Feb. 6 and have continued to cooperate with investigators since.
“School officials have been cooperating to the best of our abilities in the investigation of these allegations as the safety of our students and staff are of utmost importance,” Mr. Zelanko said.