Ex-O.C. Coach Faces Battery, Sex Charges
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A former Canyon High School girls basketball coach has been arrested and charged with having sex with one of his players.
Michael Anthony Watson, 40, of Orange was arraigned this week on two counts of felony unlawful sexual intercourse and one count of misdemeanor domestic-violence battery. The encounters between Watson and the 17-year-old occurred between February 2002 and this Oct. 20 , authorities said.
The Orange County district attorney’s office expects to file additional felony charges Monday.
Watson is being held in Orange County Jail on $130,000 bail.
His contract to coach the girls varsity basketball team at Canyon High in Anaheim Hills was not renewed at the end of the 2002-03 season.
Watson worked for the district from Sept. 1, 2001, to February 2003 as a short-term employee, without teaching credentials or tenure, said Jamie Brown, Orange Unified School District personnel director.
The district will not take any action in response to the arrest.
The district attorney’s office asks that anyone with information about the case call (714) 347-8579.
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