Basketball coach child abuse charges

Mar 23

Basketball Coach Fights Back Against Child Abuse Charges

After having previously been accused of verbally attacking an autistic boy last August, Hall of Fame basketball coach Frank Teverbaugh was accused of hitting the same boy in the Richland Library in Washington. Teverbaugh was eventually cleared of the charges, but he is now taking action against his accuser claiming that the charges ruined his reputation.

In addition to seeking $2,500 in restitution to cover his legal costs, Teverbaugh has also filed a $150,000 claim against the City of Richland, which appears to be the first of its kind in the county. Frank Teverbaugh claims that the child’s caregiver lied to police when she said he attacked the boy last summer. The former coach filed a citizen complaint requesting that the judge charge the caregiver with malicious prosecution or false reporting.

Until the accusations, Frank Teverbaugh was a highly regarded and celebrated member of his community. He claims that the accusations and the press that followed tarnished his and his family’s reputations. Although Teverbaugh has worked with young boys for over 40 years and had never had a complaint filed against him, the allegations have been professionally damaging. For example, conducting a Google search for Frank Teverbaugh’s name today produces the details of the accusations rather than the man’s previous accomplishments.

Initial reports claimed that Teverbaugh had twice struck the child in the face, causing him to get a bloody nose. The charges, however, were dropped in November when the Library’s surveillance camera proved that Teverbaugh was innocent because the library’s surveillance video supported his recount of the event. As it turns out, the surveillance tapes were produced for the authorities only after the library received a subpoena from Teverbaugh’s lawyers, leading many to believe the entire case against Teverbaugh could have been thrown out had the tapes been submitted in a more timely manner.

While no court date is yet set for Frank Teverbaugh’s civil case, it is sure that what might have been a minor ordeal is now not only no such thing, but also far from over.