Police Chief Russ Whitman said Freidenberg, 58, of Pickerington, was fingerprinted and photographed before his initial appearance in Franklin Municipal Court.
Freidenberg was released on his own recognizance pending a pre-trial conference set for 3 p.m. May 21.
Last June, the Ohio All Star Wrestling Team coached by Freidenberg rented out the Franklin school facilitiest.
During the practices in Franklin, one of the juvenile wrestlers from Cincinnati called his parents to come pick him up early. Once the family picked him up, it was found that the juvenile was a victim of a hazing incident, and they contacted police, according to Franklin police.
The alleged incidents occurred at Franklin Community Pool and at the high school, police said.
Freidenberg has been the Ohio AAU Wrestling Chairman since 1986 and has coached at several high schools and middle schools in central Ohio and organized dozens of tournaments. He also served as head wrestling manager at Ohio State University from 1979 to 1982. In 2006, Freidenberg was inducted into the AAU Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Freidenberg is known among the Ohio wrestling community for his annual youth wrestling tournament, the touring all-star wrestling team he runs and previous coaching experience within local school districts, according to his AAU biography.
Freidenberg founded the Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team, according to his AAU biography. The program, operating for more than three decades, takes sixth- through ninth-grade wrestlers on summer wrestling tours across the country.
He also founded and operates the Ohio Tournament of Champions, an annual competition for youth wrestlers in its 27th year. The tournament, held in Columbus, draws 2,500 wrestlers. It will be held this year on April 27 at the Ohio Expo Center, according tournament’s website.
The alleged incident has also resulted in an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, where Freidenberg worked as a volunteer.
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