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On Friday, Santa Ana Police arrested Chris Flores, a 37-year-old athletic trainer who has been accused of s*xually assaulting 2 minors.
Known affectionately as "Coach Frogg", Chris Flores was a well-known trainer at STARS Prep Academy in Southern California, which he founded with retired NFL star Jason David in 2017.
As per authorities, Chris Flores has been accused of physically violating 2 minors he coached at the academy. However, Santa Ana Police believe there may be more victims.
All there is to know about Chris Flores
Chris Flores was primarily known as a youth coach, whose effective training methods had garnered him a reputation within the sports world.
After beginning the STARS Prep Academy, Flores came into contact with numerous NFL standouts, including DJ Uiagalelei, Adoree Jackson, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Bryce Young. The program was based out of Santiago Middle School in Orange County. Over 100 young athletes were enrolled.
Edward Welbourn, an attorney representing Chris Flores, said that he vehemently denied the allegations, noting his history as a prominent figure within the local community.
Welbourn said:
"Chris has been a coach, really a teacher and a mentor to kids in the community for many years and all of these allegations that have come out are very shocking to him."
He continued:
"He absolutely denies any sort of inappropriate relationship or contact with any current or former athlete or student he's trained. All he's tried to do is help kids and move them on in their lives and their careers."
However, authorities present a different account, claiming that Flores misused his position as a trainer in order to prey on young girls. The investigation into Flores' alleged actions began on August 5, when audio recordings of a party indicated that a man believed to be the youth trainer was trying to date a 14-year-old girl.
CBS reported that in the audio, a male voice can be heard trying to convince the teen to FaceTime. When the girl refuses, the voice urges her not to deny him.
The male voice said:
"We talked about this, dude. You gotta stop with the nos."
The girl claimed that Flores had violated her on more than one occasion in the year 2021.
In an official press release, the Santa Ana Police Department said that due to his position as a youth trainer, there is reason to believe that Flores may potentially have been a serial predator.
The statement said:
"Santa Ana Police Department Detectives believe there may be additional victims that Flores preyed upon as a coach with access to many children and teenagers."
In an official statement, Jason David condemned Flores' actions.
He said:
"I'm sick to my stomach. I'm disgusted. I'm outraged."
In reference to Flores' alleged victims, he said:
"We will stand with you."
ABC reported that Flores has been arrested in the past, having been accused of kidnapping and violating a woman in 2009. He was found not guilty of the charges.
