Gymnastics coach accused of assaulting Mundelein teen back in court Friday
A Lake County judge has scheduled a Friday bond review for a gymnastics coach from Palatine accused of sexually assaulting one of his students at a Lake County hotel.
Kendale L. Coats, 29, of the 900 block of North Sterling Drive, pleaded not guilty March 1 to felony counts of criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, Assistant Lake County State's Attorney Jason Grindell said Wednesday.
If found guilty of all three counts of criminal sexual assault, Coats could be sentenced to up to 45 years in prison, Grindell said. A guilty verdict on the sexual abuse charges could put Coats behind bars up to seven years.
Coats is scheduled to go to trial April 23.
He was ordered held in Lake County jail on $750,000 bail but requested a bond review by Judge Patricia Fix to reduce that amount. The review was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was continued to Friday because a required report was not completed on time.
An investigation by the Lake County state attorney's office, along with the Mundelein and Libertyville police departments, determined Coats had several instances of sexual contact with the Mundelein victim while working as a gymnastics coach at U.S. Gymnastics Training Center in Lake Zurich, authorities said.
Officials said Coats knew the victim was 16 when the sexual assault took place.
He admitted to having sexual contact with the teen at the Libertyville hotel Jan. 11 and on more than one occasion at his residence, authorities said.
Police used credit card receipts from the hotel where the encounter took place to obtain evidence in the case, authorities said.
The case remains under investigation.