Lemoore coach sentenced to five years in prison for sexual assault against minor

Daniel Flores, a former Lemoore Little League coach, was sentenced to five years in state prison late this morning for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Flores, 42, had pleaded no contest to charges stemming from a 2004 incident at his daughter's birthday party. One of the guests alleged that despite her protests, Flores had sex with her while she was too intoxicated to resist.

According to court records, Flores and his wife provided alcohol to the teens, one of whom became so drunk that she opted to spend the night.

Flores resigned from his coaching position shortly after his no-contest plea this past March.

He had passed a Little League background check in January because he had no convictions or pleas on his record.

Little League officials say that if someone had told them about the charges against Flores earlier, board members would have looked into the matter and likely asked Flores to resign immediately.

League officials say they took immediate action to force Flores to resign after another league coach informed them of the charges against him.

Officials say they are looking into additional screening measures for coaches. They may utilize the fingerprint system schools currently use.

The victim, now 18, recently filed a civil lawsuit in the case.

(May 21, 2007)