HERMISTON — Recent Hermiston High Schools girls soccer head coach Freddy Delapaz Guizar is in the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, on four counts of first-degree sexual abuse.

Guizar, 31, has been the head coach of the team since 2018. Before that, he was an assistant coach on the Hermiston High School boys soccer team from the 2014-15 season to the 2018-19 season.

The Hermiston School District Athletics and Activities Director Larry Usher on July 26 announced Omar Medina as the next Hermiston High School head girls soccer coach. Hermiston School District Superintendent Tricia Mooney issued the following statement regarding the arrest:

“Hermiston School District’s top priority is the safety of our students in all settings. Every teacher, coach and adviser undergo a thorough background and reference check and is required to know and follow district policy regarding interaction with students at all times.

“In accordance with state law, board policy and staff training, we also require that suspected abuse of any kind be reported immediately, regardless of when or where it happens, and we work closely with the Hermiston Police Department to follow up on all reports. We encourage any parent or student who suspects or experiences abuse to alert authorities, whether that be a school administrator or law enforcement.”

Hermiston Police Department and Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office are handling all aspects of the investigation into allegations made against Guizar, according to Mooney’s statement.

“When he applied to be a coach, there was no criminal history that would have prohibited him from the position,” she concluded.

Hermiston police on Wednesday, July 27, arrested Guizar. State court records show a Umatilla County grand jury the day before indicted Garza on four counts of first-degree sexual assault.

The indictment accuses Garza of abusing one youth on three occasions between Dec. 20, 2013, and June 13, 2016, and another youth one time between April 30, 2012, and April 29, 2014. Both youths were under the age of 14.

This is a breaking news story. The East Oregonian will update with more information as soon as possible.