(November 11, 2008)

MATHIS-- The Mathis High School Athletic Director and Football Coach has been arrested at the school. This after some disturbing accusations. Police said he held a student against her will and was making improper sexual advances.

School officials say the athletic director is suspended with pay from his job. Tonight, the victim's family is questioning why the coach wasn't suspended earlier.

The Mathis football coach couldn't believe he was arrested for unlawful restraint at the high school. Police contend that Chris Casarez confronted a 17-year-old student last Friday morning, while she was alone in the girl's PE locker room. They said the 35-year-old teacher wouldn't let her leave, held her hand and made a sexual advance.

"She indicated that she felt intimidated," said Lt. Sal De La Riva. "She felt something else would have happened if she wouldn't been able to get free and run out of the locker room."

We caught up with Casarez just before he was booked into the San Patricio County Jail. He told us he held the girl's hand for just five seconds and claimed he never wanted to have sex with her.

"I held a student's hand while I questioned her about a fight she was in that I broke up," said Casarez. "When I felt she was uncomfortable, I let her hands go."

We asked him why he would enter the girl's locker room by himself to talk to the student.

"I knew the girl well enough where I could talk to her about those things and give her some counseling on that," Casarez said. 

His wife went to the police department shortly after his arrest and refused to comment to us about what happened. Meanwhile the school district told us they're conducting an internal investigation and he's suspended with pay.

"At the present time, the district's investigation does not reveal Coach Casarez did anything that will be considered criminal in nature," said Dr. Maria Rodriguez Casas, the Mathis ISD Superintendent. 

The victim's family gave us a statement saying they were at ease that the coach was in custody, but they were upset school officials waited so long to remove him from his job. They thought the district dismissed their allegations against Casarez. So that's why the family went to the police department.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News, mdelarosa@kiiitv.com