Richard Alexander Turner or “RT” has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting at least 10 teenage girls while working as a trainer at two Los Angeles high schools between 2017 and 2022.
The first victim came forward in 2017, which is bound to raise questions about why the school district allowed him to keep working with students.
The high schools are Van Nuys High School and Birmingham Community Charger High School, which are both affiliated with the Los Angeles Unified School District.
He is accused of sexually assaulting student-athletes who were seeking treatment for sports injuries, sometimes using force, or by claiming to be providing treatment for sports injuries.
He has been charged with 18 counts of forcible rape, sexual battery, sexual penetration of an unconscious person, forcible oral copulation, and sexual penetration by use of force.
“The unconsciousness in this particular case really refers to the fact that they may not have immediately been aware that they were being sexually molested. There have been some cases where force was used as well,” according to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
Detectives are searching for more victims of sexual assault, according to a news release from the LAPD.
On September 19, a teenage girl told a school official that she was inappropriately touched by Turner when she sought treatment for a sports injury.
On September 20, the LAPD received a call of a sexual assault at Birmingham High School in the West Valley area of Los Angeles.
Detectives found a report from 2017 in which a second victim, also a teenage girl, said Turner touched her inappropriately when she went to him for treatment for an injury while she was practicing basketball.
Turner was never charged or arrested in the case from 2017 due to a lack of evidence. School officials were notified of the sexual assault report, but they allowed him to keep working with students until he was arrested on September 21, 2022 on suspicion of sexual assault.
On September 22, he posted bail and was released, but was re-arrested later that day on 4 counts of forcible penetration with a foreign object. Bail was set at $750,000.
LAPD detectives are asking anyone who may be a victim or has more information to contact Juvenile Division detectives at (818) 374-5415.
During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org.
Source: Athletic trainer at L.A. schools charged with sexually assaulting 10 female students