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A once beloved track coach whom parents trusted with their children has been exposed as a rapist.
In Prince George’s County, Maryland, Warren Gray, a former track coach was sentenced to 21 years in prison for child pornography, second-degree rape, and other sexual charges.
Gray, a 34-year-old, began grooming a victim in 2017, when he was coaching at the New Wave Track Club.
From 2018 to 2020, Gray was a brief employee for the George’s County Public Schools, as confirmed by a spokesperson at the school.
The victim was 13 years old
The sexual misconduct went on for another four years, even after she departed from New Wave.
“The assault was discovered when the victim’s mother was helping her with a school project, and while using her daughter’s laptop, she discovered videos of the victim and Gray involved in sexual acts,” stated a press release from the State Attorney’s Office.
State Attorney Aisha Braveboy was disgusted by this case, stating, “The crimes that occurred here were among the most horrific that we have seen in our county facing our young people. They’re special to us. Some out there want to take advantage of those who prey on them. In this case, they took part in our victims’ past. What I shared with our victim, and really now, she’s our survivor, and her mother, is that Mr. Gray will not steal her future. He will not steal her future.”
Track coach pled guilty in July
In the pre-sentence investigation, Gray claims he was unaware of the victim’s young age. He said he believed that she was a New Wave Track Club coach like himself.
On July 24, Gray pleaded guilty to two sex offense charges, second-degree rape, and two child pronography charges.
Prosecutor Ashley Elias mentioned, “This is a case where it highlights how victims can be groomed by people the community may think are trusted members of the community. Instead, the defendant decided to use that trust that was put in him to sexually abuse a child.”
Following the hearing, the victim and her mother spoke to reporters
The victim stated, “Today was hard, probably one of the hardest days of my life. I want to thank my mother for having my back.”
Her mother followed up, “We’ve been waiting for this day for years.”
She continued, “We just never thought it would come, but hopefully, now we have closure, peace of mind… Well, we’ll work on the peace of mind. Just moving forward.”
During this time, the victim and mother asked for their faces and names not to be revealed to the public.
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