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Del Norte coach arrested on campus

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Robin Michael Alarcon, 35, is to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Friday in San Diego Superior Court. His anticipated bail will be $75,000 according to police Lt. Rick O’Hanlon.

The Rancho Penasquitos resident was arrested on suspicion of “sending harmful matter to a minor and communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a sexual act,” O’Hanlon said.

Police were contacted by school officials on Wednesday after a student told them about messages she received from Alarcon the day before. O’Hanlon said detectives from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force went to the 4S Ranch school, where Alarcon was arrested the same day.

“Mr. Alarcon has been permanently released from all duties with Poway Unified School District,” said PUSD spokeswoman Sharon Raffer on Thursday.

According to Raffer, Alarcon started at Del Norte a few weeks ago as a paid assistant freshman girls soccer coach, but had no teaching responsibilities on campus.

He was the head girls lacrosse coach at Mt. Carmel during spring 2006-2009, Raffer said. He also was assistant girls lacrosse coach at Rancho Bernardo High in spring 2005.

Before these coaching positions, Raffer said Alarcon was a “regular employee” in the district, hired as an instructional aide for physical education. He was at Westwood Elementary from November 2001 until being laid-off in June 2003. He returned to the Rancho Bernardo campus in December 2003 and stayed until resigning in September 2004.

Raffer said when hired in 2001, Alarcon cleared the required Megan’s Law and Department of Justice fingerprint background checks. He has also completed a required California Interscholastic Federation coach’s training program.

Raffer said while employees are only checked before being hired for the first time, if in later years there are incidents, the district is notified by authorities.

O’Hanlon said Alarcon also coached a Rancho Penasquitos girls club soccer team.

John Weinerth, chief executive officer for Cal South Soccer, confirmed Alarcon was a youth coach, but “upon learning of these charges, Cal South has suspended Mr. Alarcon indefinitely from all soccer related activities until further notice.

“Prior to his arrest, Mr. Alarcon successfully cleared the Cal South Risk Management requirements which include live scan fingerprints and a background check through the California Department of Justice,” Weinerth said on Thursday.

“We hold the safety of our members as the highest priority and look forward to cooperating with the authorities as part of their investigation,” he added.

On Wednesday evening, Del Norte Principal Greg Mizel informed parents of Alarcon’s arrest via the district’s ConnectED system. His message was also posted on the school’s Web site.

“As always, the safety of our students is paramount, and we will continue to be diligent about protecting all students,” Mizel said in the message, in which he referred to the incident as “unfortunate.”

This is the second time this semester a Poway Unified coach has been arrested for alleged inappropriate contact with a student.

Last month, Ryan Paul Carnell, 28, a former volunteer assistant wrestling coach at Westview, was arrested on suspicion of molesting a female student and false imprisonment.

Before his Dec. 4 arrest, Carnell, a Rancho Bernardo resident, previously pleaded guilty to sending pornographic materials and furnishing marijuana to a 16-year-old female student.

Carnell is scheduled for sentencing in the first case on Feb. 16 and a preliminary hearing has yet to be held in the second case.

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