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Robert Pope, age 30, the owner and head coach of Mount Vernon Baseball, an independent organization, was arrested following an investigation into allegations of him having improper contact with a minor.
On Monday, June 14, the Mount Vernon Police Department was alerted to allegations that a baseball coach in the city was allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old former player.
Police said that the mother of the alleged victim reported that she found text messages between her child and Pope, which included sexually explicit messages and photographs.
The mother and the victim proceeded to report the messages to the Mount Vernon Police Department, which prompted an investigation.
According to police, during the investigation, detectives also found that Pope had allegedly subjected the minor to sexual contact on multiple occasions.
Police said that through the Mount Vernon Baseball organization, he was the head coach of numerous youth baseball teams in area leagues.
The teams Pope coached were between 10 and 18 years old. In addition to his work there, Pope was also a volunteer coach with the Mount Vernon High School varsity baseball team.
On Tuesday, June 15, Mount Vernon Police detectives arrested Pope at his Mount Vernon home, and he was charged with a felony count of criminal sexual act.
He was held overnight and scheduled to be arraigned in Mount Vernon City Court on Wednesday, June 16.
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