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Accuser not cooperating in Ferris coach investigation
03:03 PM PST on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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SPOKANE – The girl who accuses Ferris High School Boy’s basketball coach Don Van Lierop of rape is not cooperating with authorities, according to law enforcement sources.
krem.com
Ferris High School head boys basketball coach Don Van Lierop
The girl and her mother went to police two weeks ago, but she has not talked to detectives since.
Van Lierop’s attorney, Kevin Curtis, said the coach “barely even knew this girl whatsoever" and that she was not a student in any of his classes.
An unidentified source close to the investigation told KREM 2 News reporter Lee Stoll that last year there was a meeting with her mother and the school’s principal because of rumors swirling about her relationships with players on the team.
The teen and her mother filed a report with the police department two weeks ago accusing Van Lierop of raping her at an off-campus location last year.
The accuser was never a student in Van Lierop’s social studies class. The girl is no longer a student at Ferris.
Police say their investigation – including interviews – is still on-going, and they hope to reach a decision on whether to forward the case to prosecutors by week’s end.
If cleared, Van Lierop still faces an internal investigation by the school district, which will not begin until a decision is made on any criminal charges.
Curtis says Van Lierop passed a polygraph test during an interview with detectives.
The coach has led the Saxons to back-to-back championships in which both included unbeaten seasons.
“He wants to be back with them, he wants to be back teaching and back coaching as soon as possible,” Curtis said.
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