Ex-Kiski Area football coach charged with sexual misconduct

A former assistant football coach at Kiski Area High School in Westmoreland County has been charged with having sex or other inappropriate contact with five female students.

State police filed charges Friday against Ryan T. O’Toole, 30, of Penn Hills, who owns RM Performance Training.

“The moment that somebody affiliated with our school district heard something, we acted,” district superintendent Timothy Scott said Tuesday. “We continue to be concerned, and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure we’re taking care of our kids.”

Investigators said in an affidavit that Mr. O’Toole admitted to inappropriate contact with current and former students before and during his employment there.

The alleged victims told police that Mr. O’Toole engaged in a range of inappropriate contact, including sending lewd text messages, petting and having intercourse, according to the affidavit.

Police were notified in November after multiple reports to the state’s ChildLine child-abuse hotline were forwarded to investigators. The police affidavit indicated that an assistant principal initiated the referrals.

Mr. Scott said Mr. O’Toole was hired for the 2017 fall season, and the district first learned of the allegations Nov. 3. Within days, Mr. O’Toole was terminated as the high school’s assistant football coach.

Mr. O’Toole’s wife, Melisa O’Toole, remains employed as the district’s varsity girls soccer coach.

Mr. O’Toole became affiliated with Kiski Area during the 2016-17 school year through private training contracts with student athletes, Mr. Scott said.

“At that time, obviously, we were unsure of allegations of that nature,” Mr. Scott said.

RM Performance Training’s website lists both O’Tooles as co-owners. The website, which has numerous pictures of what appear to be male and female highschool-age students, says the business trains athletes and has worked with male and female sports teams at Kiski, Franklin Regional and Beaver Area school districts.

Mr. Scott said that as far as he knew, no inappropriate contact occurred on school property and, he added, most contacts are alleged to have occurred before Mr. O’Toole washired to coach.

“I think the contact occurred predominantly during the time he was operating his personal training business,” Mr. Scott said.

Mr. O’Toole is charged with institutional sexual assault, harassment and three counts of corruption of minors. He faces a preliminary hearing July 31 before District Judge Cheryl PeckYakopec.

Mr. O’Toole could not be reached for comment.