A steady rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. Potential for heavy rainfall. High 59F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
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Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low 52F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
SANTA ANA — A former high school girls basketball coach pleaded guilty Wednesday to statutory rape and other charges involving one of his teenage players and was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison.
Michael Watson, 41, of Orange, pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape, two counts of forcible sodomy, attempted sodomy, domestic violence, oral copulation of a minor, a lewd act upon a child and possession of child pornography. He will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. "Mr. Watson was in a position of trust and authority and he used that position to take advantage of a young girl," Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Duke said in a statement. "It is important for our community to protect young girls from being preyed upon by adult men, especially coaches and teachers."
Authorities said Watson began sexually assaulting the girl in October 2001, when she was 15. They said the abuse continued until October 2003 when she contacted police.
Watson moved in with the girl and her family at one point in 2002 when he was going through a divorce.
He was arrested after the girl contacted police on Oct. 20, 2003, and reported he had choked her after he saw a teenage boy ask for her phone number. She subsequently told police about the sexual abuse.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.