Coach ordered to stay away from alleged victims
LAX COURTHOUSE — A Santa Monica High School coach pleaded not guilty Friday to nine felony charges stemming from his alleged sexual relationships with three different teenagers.
Mike Hearn, 37, was arrested last month and freed on $42,000 bond. Prosecutors have charged Hearn with six counts of unlawful sex with a 17-year-old girl, two counts for allegedly having oral sex and performing a lewd act upon a 15-year-old girl, and one count for sharing pornographic materials with a third girl, also 15.
Hearn, through his lawyer, declined to comment. The assistant basketball and football coach has been placed on home assignment until the matter is resolved.
School district administrators maintained the 17-year-old girl wasn’t a Samohi student, but said, to the best of their knowledge, the other two alleged victims were. The girls’ identities were not released because they are alleged victims of sex crimes, and two are still minors.
“We’ve been really working around supporting those families, and been in touch with those families — extensively,” said John Deasy, superintendent of schools.
Deputy District Attorney Robin Katzenstein, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment, saying she couldn’t publicly discuss sex cases. Prosecutors waited close to a month before pressing charges, evaluating the evidence and meeting with the three girls.
“They’re crimes, they’re felonies,” said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. “He’s been charged with misconduct. We believe there’s sufficient evidence, and we’ll prove it in court.”
Married, with children in local schools, Hearn was accompanied to court Friday by his wife and his sister, along with a handful of other family members and friends. He was dressed in a dark blue suit, and wore a white shirt and blue tie. Hearn didn’t speak during the courtroom proceedings, except to twice say, “Yes, your honor,” after being asked by a judge if he understood his right to a speedy trial and was willing to waive it.
Daniel Davis, Hearn’s private attorney, said he needed to investigate the allegations further before he could make any substantive comment.
“I reviewed the initial police reports, and they genuinely give me cause and concern,” Davis said after the court hearing. “Initially, we’re exploring legal procedures to either avoid further prosecution or to minimize further legal proceedings.”
After taking Hearn’s not guilty plea, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paula Adele Mabrey put the case over for a status conference at the end of August. Hearn was ordered not to harass or assault the three alleged victims, and must stay at least 100 yards away from the three girls and the Samohi campus.
The alleged victims have been treated at the Stuart House in Santa Monica, which often deals with sexual abuse cases. The Stuart House is overseen by officials from the Rape Treatment Center, based in the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.
The athletic director and other coaches at Samohi have not returned repeated calls seeking comment since Hearn’s June 2 arrest. In an interview last month, Jose Corral, founder of the local chapter of the Pop Warner youth football league, described Hearn as energetic and outgoing.
Hearn coached in the league for four years, as recently as last year. His son played in the program, and his daughter was a cheerleader, Corral added.
“He was very nice, outgoing,” Corral said. “Great guy with the kids, great guy with the parents.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 3, 2004. Read the original PDF.