Coach charged with child molestation

Man helped with wrestling program at Gwinnett schools.

Frank Castaneda, a longtime volunteer wrestling coach at several Gwinnett County middle schools, was arrested Sunday amid accusations he molested a young girl over a five-year span.

Castaneda, 42, was booked into the Gwinnett County jail on a single count of child molestation and, as of Wednesday morning, was being held without bond. The warrant for Castaneda’s arrest, issued Oct. 29, accuses him of fondling the alleged victim between 2006 and 2011.

It was not believed that Castaneda met the alleged victim through wrestling. A Gwinnett County police spokesman said the original incident report in the case was filed in May.

Gwinnett County Public Schools spokeswoman Sloan Roach described Castaneda as a “community coach who helped with the youth middle school wrestling program” in the Lawrenceville’s Archer High School cluster. She said the district ran a back- ground check when Castaneda went through its community coach training program but stressed he was a volunteer, not an employee.

“It is my understanding that he has not been involved with the Archer program since last year’s season ended,” Roach wrote in an email. “He had been informed that his assistance as a volunteer would not be needed this year.”

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution article published in 2007 suggests Castaneda’s involvement in Gwinnett youth wrestling dates back at least that far. According to articles published by the Gwinnett Daily Post, Castaneda has previous ties to wrestling programs in the Parkview and Mountain View clusters.

Frank Castaneda is accused of molesting a girl over a five-year span.