Local baseball Coach Antonio Gomez, Convicted in Child Sex Abuse Case

LOS ANGELES – Following a day of deliberations, jurors today convicted a former middle school teacher accused of sexually abusing two teenage girls, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Antonio Gomez, 41, of Downey was convicted of 12 counts of lewd act upon a child with a special allegation found true that the defendant committed the offenses on more than one victim. Jurors also found true an allegation that the defendant had substantial sexual conduct with one victim under age 14.

Gomez also a coach with the Oakley Stingrays, a youth baseball organization that uses Zimmerman Park in the city of Norwalk. The victims are not associated with the the Norwalk based team, prosecutors said.

Deputy District Attorney Martha Carrillo of the Sex Crimes Division prosecuted the case.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lance Ito ordered the defendant remanded into custody without bail. Gomez is expected to be sentenced on June 27 in Department 110 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of 22 years in state prison.

The offenses, which took place between June 1, 2005, and June 30, 2006, involve two former students who at the time of the offenses were between the ages of 13 and 15.

Gomez was a physical education teacher at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School in East Los Angeles.

Officers of the Los Angeles Police Department investigated the case.

–Source Los Angeles County District Attoney