City News Service
BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A former girls soccer coach from the Coachella Valley was a habitual predator, kissing, fondling and propositioning multiple players, the prosecution said today, while the defense argued the witnesses’ testimony was unreliable and possibly driven by a hostile co-worker who encouraged the victims to tell stories.
Juan Manuel Pantoja Troncoso, 29, of Salton City is charged with three counts each of forcible lewd acts on a child and contacting a minor for the purpose of perpetrating a sexual offense, five counts of annoying a child and one count of battery, with sentence-enhancing allegations of targeting multiple victims.
Testimony in Troncoso’s trial began in late September and concluded Tuesday at the Banning Justice Center. Closing arguments were held Wednesday, with Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Singerton presiding.
Deputy District Attorney Thomas Farnell gave a detailed account of the five victims’ recollections of what allegedly occurred during their interactions with the defendant when he was one of the lead coaches in the After-School Education and Safety program at Toro Canyon Middle School in Thermal in 2019.
One of Troncoso’s primary targets was allegedly a then-13-year-old soccer player. The girl alleged that during an encounter on campus, the defendant “forcibly grabbed her wrist and placed her hand on his penis, putting his mouth on her breasts and touching her vagina,” Farnell recounted to jurors.
During a school-sponsored Halloween carnival, Troncoso also cornered the girl with the “intent to molest her,” though she was ultimately able to get away from him, according to the prosecution.
He later asked her during a soccer practice session if she “wanted to do it” with him, Farnell alleged.
The prosecutor alleged that another 13-year-old girl was groped by Troncoso, who put his hand under her sweater and through her hair.
When a 14-year-old player asked his opinion about her new shirt, Troncoso responded, “Everything looks good on you,” Farnell told jurors, citing it as an instance of lewd communication.
The defendant accosted a 13-year-old girl, allegedly asking her point-blank if she “wanted to (expletive),” then offering her cash to fulfill the request, which frightened the child, the prosecution said.
A 12-year-old girl told Riverside County Sheriff’s Office investigators that she and Troncoso initially “had a good friendship, but he took advantage,” Farnell said.
He reminded jurors the girl went on to testify the defendant allegedly put his hands around her stomach and called her “gordita,” encouraging her to “ditch with him” before a physical education class.
The prosecutor further said when he learned A.N. had bisexual tendencies, the defendant allegedly asked her whether “she liked dick”?
The girl was nearly brought to tears.
The campus’ principal soccer coach, Javier Perez, said some of the girls refused to take to the field unless he was present over fears of Troncoso’s behavior, Farnell recalled.
He additionally pointed to testimony by middle school teacher Maria Sylva, who described the defendant as liking “12- to 14-year-old girls. That’s his type.”
Defense attorney Melanie Roe countered that most of the witnesses were negatively influenced by Sylva, who bore unexplained animosity toward Troncoso and had spoken with the girls before they went to authorities.
“Sylva contaminated the memories of these girls,” Roe told jurors. “She had a mean-spirited intent.”
The attorney insisted that V.R. did not allege any wrongdoing when Perez first spoke to her, but later changed her story following time spent with Sylva.
“All (of the allegations) were fabricated on the stand by her,” Roe said.
She said the witnesses, now in their late teens, had ideas planted by Sylva, including the use of words such as “uncomfortable” and “inappropriate,” which students in their early teens wouldn’t normally convey unless an adult, in this case an educator, had steered them toward such terms.
As to whether her client had made casual observations or offered supportive hugs to the youths, Roe questioned where the line was drawn between criminal offense and friendly chat.
“‘It’s not a crime to stare someone up and down, or to hug someone,” the attorney told jurors.
She praised Troncoso’s character, pointing out that he was holding down three jobs to support his family at the time of his arrest in 2020.
The defense cast doubt on the thoroughness of the investigation, suggesting it was rushed by Investigator Damen Butvidas and largely fueled by Sylva’s own perceptions, as opposed to what the victims actually experienced.
“This was an incomplete investigation,” Roe said.
Jurors deliberated briefly Wednesday and were ordered by Singerton to return to resume deliberations Thursday morning.
Troncoso, who has no documented prior felony convictions, is being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.
He was dismissed by the Coachella Valley Unified School District in the winter of 2020, soon after his arrest.
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