Police: Accused summer-camp molester on run
MUKILTEO, Wash. – A summer camp director accused of molesting children at a Washington YMCA camp may be on the run.
Authorities said they aren't sure whether Claudio Coimbra, a native of Brazil, is trying to or has fled the country. If so, he could be on his way through Southwest Washington and Oregon. A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Prosecutors said Coimbra, 49, "fondled boys and girls" in the shower at the Mukilteo branch of the YMCA of Snohomish County. He was initially caught and charged with felony child molestation. However, he failed to appear in court for his arraignment.
A reporter for KATU's news partner KOMO in Seattle interviewed Coimbra in January, amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. The man, who had not yet been charged, denied the children's claims.
"Right now, I'm just innocent," he said in January. "It's really just a false accusation."
Coimbra worked as a summer camp director at the Mukilteo YMCA, where he came in contact with dozens of children. Several of the children said Coimbra had fondled them in the shower.
The allegations (Warning: These descriptions are explicit.)
One boy told his mother he was showering after swimming at the Y when "Claudio came in, took hold of (the boy's) arm and touched his 'private parts'" some time in the summer of 2009, according to the police report.
A girl told her mother she and her friend had both been fondled by Coimbra, and that "she had not reported this because she was afraid," the report said.
And there are other cases under investigation. According to the statement of probable cause, a 10-year-old girl told a CPS employee on Aug. 21 that the counselor had "slid his hand under her butt and touched her genital area, over her clothing," some time during June or July. The two were seated at a table and the counselor was dealing playing cards, the girl told investigators, and the touching went on for 10 or 15 seconds until she got up and walked away.
The girl told a friend what had happened, and that friend, in turn, told her own mother, the statement said. However, the alleged victim's mother said she was unaware of the alleged abuse. The victim's mother said the girl only told her that the counselor "made her uncomfortable," but did not mention any alleged abuse.
Dealing with the revelations
One child's mother said she has "cried for months about" the alleged abuse.
"What type of long-term effects is it going to have on him (my son)? No one knows," the mother said. "I don't know how this guy slipped through the cracks, but he did."
When interviewed by detectives in August 2009, Coimbra denied having fondled any of the children in the shower. He added "if he ever touched anyone it was to have them stop misbehaving but 'not in a sexual way,'" the police report said.
The abuse allegations surfaced in August 2009 when YMCA officials immediately suspended Coimbra and alerted Child Protective Services. However, officials admit the children's parents were not notified until months later.
YMCA officials said detectives, as well as the CPS, told them to keep quiet so that frantic parents wouldn't taint the investigation. They reportedly were told that the children should first be interviewed by experts who understand forensic techniques, as untrained parents could inadvertently create false memories or repress real ones through their questioning of the events.
Authorities said they aren't sure whether Claudio Coimbra, a native of Brazil, is trying to or has fled the country. If so, he could be on his way through Southwest Washington and Oregon. A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Prosecutors said Coimbra, 49, "fondled boys and girls" in the shower at the Mukilteo branch of the YMCA of Snohomish County. He was initially caught and charged with felony child molestation. However, he failed to appear in court for his arraignment.
A reporter for KATU's news partner KOMO in Seattle interviewed Coimbra in January, amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. The man, who had not yet been charged, denied the children's claims.
"Right now, I'm just innocent," he said in January. "It's really just a false accusation."
Coimbra worked as a summer camp director at the Mukilteo YMCA, where he came in contact with dozens of children. Several of the children said Coimbra had fondled them in the shower.
The allegations (Warning: These descriptions are explicit.)
One boy told his mother he was showering after swimming at the Y when "Claudio came in, took hold of (the boy's) arm and touched his 'private parts'" some time in the summer of 2009, according to the police report.
A girl told her mother she and her friend had both been fondled by Coimbra, and that "she had not reported this because she was afraid," the report said.
And there are other cases under investigation. According to the statement of probable cause, a 10-year-old girl told a CPS employee on Aug. 21 that the counselor had "slid his hand under her butt and touched her genital area, over her clothing," some time during June or July. The two were seated at a table and the counselor was dealing playing cards, the girl told investigators, and the touching went on for 10 or 15 seconds until she got up and walked away.
The girl told a friend what had happened, and that friend, in turn, told her own mother, the statement said. However, the alleged victim's mother said she was unaware of the alleged abuse. The victim's mother said the girl only told her that the counselor "made her uncomfortable," but did not mention any alleged abuse.
Dealing with the revelations
One child's mother said she has "cried for months about" the alleged abuse.
"What type of long-term effects is it going to have on him (my son)? No one knows," the mother said. "I don't know how this guy slipped through the cracks, but he did."
When interviewed by detectives in August 2009, Coimbra denied having fondled any of the children in the shower. He added "if he ever touched anyone it was to have them stop misbehaving but 'not in a sexual way,'" the police report said.
The abuse allegations surfaced in August 2009 when YMCA officials immediately suspended Coimbra and alerted Child Protective Services. However, officials admit the children's parents were not notified until months later.
YMCA officials said detectives, as well as the CPS, told them to keep quiet so that frantic parents wouldn't taint the investigation. They reportedly were told that the children should first be interviewed by experts who understand forensic techniques, as untrained parents could inadvertently create false memories or repress real ones through their questioning of the events.