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Parkesburg Point Youth Center volunteer basketball coach charged with raping young teen
Police are concerned there could be more victims.
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Parkesburg Point Youth Center volunteer basketball coach charged with raping young teen
By Marcella Baietto
September 16, 2022 / 12:54 PM / CBS Philadelphia
PARKESBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- A volunteer basketball coach in Chester County has been arrested for allegedly raping a young teenager. Police are concerned there could be more victims.
The small town of Parkesburg has now become the center of an investigation into a man charged with raping a 13-year-old girl. Parkesburg is about an hour or so west of Philadelphia. The town of just about 4,000 people was surprised to hear about the incident.
The Chester County District Attorney's Office says 31-year-old Ameer Sutton-Best volunteered at the Parkesburg Point Youth Center where he helped coach an all-boys basketball team.
"The defendant volunteered to help coach basketball at an organization in Parkesburg that provides resources to some of the most vulnerable teens in the community," Deputy DA for child abuse unit, Erin O'Brien, said. "It's very important that anyone who is a victim, especially in this position, that they come forward and that they are protected and that that individual doesn't have the opportunity to harm anyone else."
Executive director of the rec center Dwayne Walton was the one who called police after he heard rumors of Sutton-Best.
"Once we caught wind of it, I in particular, I called the police ChildLine and made the report because we're mandated reporters," Walton said.
Officials say Sutton-Best also asked for nude photos through snapchat and text messages from two other young girls.
"We don't even allow kids to have cellphones here, they have to turn their cellphones in because of the potential of something bad happening," Walton said.
Walton says Sutton-Best was never an official coach, but this incident is leading the rec center to improve their security measures.
"Also there's really messed up people that would try and take advantage of an environment like this and we try to make sure we're as safe as possible. No one is ever alone with kids. I don't think anyone can say that something happened here," Walton said.
Sutton-Best is charged with rape and sexual abuse of children among other charges. He is being held at the Chester County prison on $1 million bail.
He has a hearing scheduled for next Thursday.