The Santa Rosa community is reeling following the arrest of legendary track coach Doug Courtemarche, who is accused of possessing more than one thousand images of child sexual abuse material.
The Press Democrat reports the 78-year-old was a fixture at Santa Rosa High for nearly three decades, but the school district has already stripped his name from the campus track as he faces felony charges that could carry up to five years in prison.
While district officials say they were notified of an investigation back in July, they didn’t learn the disturbing nature of the allegations until last month, leaving former athletes and fellow coaches blindsided by the news.