HILDALE, Utah — A coach at a southern Utah high school has been arrested on accusations that he made out with a female student who was 16 years old at the time of the alleged behavior.
Aaron Peter Lacorti was arrested Tuesday and faces one charge of unlawful kissing of a minor. The 37-year-old is currently listed as an assistant basketball and football coach at Water Canyon High School in Hildale.
Arrest reports show an anonymous call was originally made to the Arizona Department of Child Services, which then shared the information with the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Hildale is located on the Utah-Arizona border.
The teenage victim first denied to police that anything illegal had taken place after first being contacted. However, last week, the victim's parents said the victim "confided in her sister admitting to the romantic relationship with Lacorti." The teen, who has since turned 17, shared information about their relationship and described "making out" with Lacorti.
During the investigation, the victim shared a letter with police in which he told the girl that they needed to "distance for a while."
On Tuesday, after being taken into custody, Lacorti denied the allegations that he made out with the girl and gave police consent to search his phone.
"Mr. Lacorti indicated that there was stuff on the phone that we would find but nothing sexual," the arrest report states.
According to police documents, Lacorti no longer has access to the school during the investigation.
