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Trial delayed for coach accused of improper texting

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By Nancy Bowman, Contributing Writer 2:21 PM Tuesday, October 20, 2009

TROY – A trial for a former West Milton schools teacher and coach accused of an improper relationship with a teen was canceled and a change of plea hearing scheduled for Nov. 24 in a Miami County court.

The jury trial for Manuel Perez, 42, of Fletcher was scheduled to begin today, Oct. 20, in Juvenile Court.

Perez this summer denied a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency or unruliness of a minor for alleged inappropriate text messaging to a 17–year-old girl.

The charge is being handled in a juvenile court because the court, under state law, has jurisdiction in contributing to the delinquency of a minor cases.

The girl’s parents contacted the sheriff’s office about the text messaging in late May.

Investigators reviewed cell phone records and “several hundred” messages, dating to February. The messages were considered “inappropriate for a student-teacher relationship,” Capt. Dave Duchak said.

Perez in June resigned his job as language arts teacher in the Milton-Union Schools, a position he held since the 2003-04 school year. He was scheduled to take over a girls’ soccer coaching position this school year.

Before joining the Milton-Union staff, he was a boys’ soccer coach at the Miami East schools.

Contact this reporter at nancykburr@aol.com or (937) 339-4371.

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