BY JOHN A. DARNELL JR.
      associate editor
      An investigation is on-going into allegations that an assistant Boardman High School soccer coach sent what are described as “inappropriate text messages” to a girl at Boardman High School.
      The mother of the child, and her daughter, have informed Boardman police the girl’s interaction with the assistant soccer coach began when the coach started following the girl on a social media platform.
      “After some time, they began sending direct text messages to each other.
      “At first it was just friendly conversation, but the [coach] began to make the conversations sexual in nature,” the police were told.
      It is alleged the coach “would continually compliment [the girl] on her appearance and say he would love to make-out with her...and would make references to the fact that he wished there weren’t any cameras around her...residence so he could sneak over and kiss her.”
      Police were told the sexual in nature conversations escalated and [the coach] sent [the girl] an explicit photograph.
      According to the mother and daughter, the text messaging began sometime in Oct., 2023 and continued until the beginning of 2024.
      The student said she did not have any contact with [the coach] for a couple of months, then he sent the girl another ‘follow request’ on Instagram.
      Police were told the girl declined the request and then blocked the man from her account, and that she has not had any contact with [the coach] since then.
      Investigation into the matter has been assigned to Det. Michele Glaros.