Ex-coach admits to sex counts

Former Euclid Middle School girls basketball coach admits to sexual assault of 14-year-old

A former Euclid Middle School girls basketball coach has admitted sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Euclid resident Kevon Smith, 23, pleaded guilty March 20 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court to two counts of sexual battery and one count each of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

He is now scheduled to be sentenced April 20 by Judge Steven E. Gall, said Kathleen Caffrey, a spokeswoman for Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley.

The sexual battery charges are felonies that carry a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison. Unlawful sexual conduct is a felony that is punishable by up to 18 months in prison.

The fourth charge is a misdemeanor that has a maximum penalty of up to six months local jail time.

Smith was a coach and educational assistant for Euclid

Schools. Police say he assaulted the girl between December 2015 and September 2016.

He was arrested Sept. 30 and was originally charged with 11 felonies.

Smith, represented by attorney Gregory Scott Robey, remains free on bond until sentencing. As a condition of bond, he has been ordered to have no contact with the victim.

Smith has not been employed by the district during the 2016-17 school year and is banned from entering school grounds or attending any district events.

He is the second district employee in six months to be convicted of a sex offense involving a student.

Ronetta Smith, a 36-year-old former Euclid High School guidance counselor is serving one year in prison after pleading guilty to one count each of sexual battery and tampering with evidence. Ronetta Smith resigned her position after it came to light she had an ongoing sexual relationship with an 18-year-old male student.