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Three weeks after being arrested for sexual acts with a minor, a former Los Gatos soccer coach remains free on bail and is awaiting his first court appearance.
Jason Hemmes, 45, is scheduled to be arraigned April 9 on charges of lewd conduct and sexual battery of a 15-year-old girl. Hemmes was the assistant coach for the victim's Los Gatos United Soccer League under-16 girls team; he was arrested March 11 after police spotted the two in a vehicle together.
According to Deputy Terrance Helm, "other victims have come forward" since the arrest. "Whether or not the charges will be filed in time or charged at all is still under investigation," Helm said.
Although Helm declined to say how many other victims there are, he said there were similar incidents with girls of about the same age.
Hemmes originally had an arraignment date of March 25, but according to Santa Clara County Sheriff's Det. Guy Kuyat, investigators were unable to complete paperwork and finish interviews in time to meet the district attorney's deadline. Kuyat said the deadline to file a complaint before the April 9 court date will be met.
A Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputy was patrolling the boat ramp parking area at Lexington Reservoir on March 11 when he noticed a head lift up from the rear seat of a white Ford Expedition. According to the sheriff's office, Hemmes admitted that he had an inappropriate relationship with the victim, whom he initially said was 35 years old. The girl told police, however, that she was 15.
Following the arrest, Hemmes was suspended and banned from the soccer league, although his teenage daughters play for league teams. He was the assistant coach for the under-16 Los Gatos Pride and for the under-14 Los Gatos Lightning and volunteered as a parent on campus for the Union School District. Hemmes is evidently a 1976 graduate of Homestead High School and plays soccer with a group of Homestead alumni.
The married father of two lives in San Jose and works from home with the networking firm Delta Communications Group. Hemmes was released from the county jail March 12 after posting a $60,000 bond.
"We are definitely looking for other victims," Helm said, asking anyone with information to contact Kuyat at 408.808.4500.
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