Soccer coach accused of lewd conduct with Irvine girl

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A soccer coach was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony lewd conduct with a 15-year-old female player he coached at a private Irvine soccer club, police said

Ian M. Ebert, 26, was taken into custody in Los Gatos, where he now lives. At the time of the alleged crimes, he was coaching for the Strikers FC of Irvine, said Lt. Julie Engen of the Irvine Police Department.

Irvine police launched an investigation Monday after a high school counselor received information about an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a female student. ‘The counselor was very prompt in notifying us,’ the lieutenant said. The counselor also informed the parents of the victim.

The girl, who lives in Irvine, had intermittent contact with Ebert through her participation in club soccer, and the ‘inappropriate contact occurred between August 2012 and December 2012, while Ebert was living in the city working as a coach for the private club,’ Engen said

Ebert also was as a coach for Irvine Unified School District at two campuses between 2009 and 2012, police said. According to his biography on the Strikers website, Ebert was the Junior Varsity Boys coach at Woodbridge High from 2009 to 2010 and the the Boys Varsity coach at University High.

Ebert was expected to be booked into the Orange County jail ,where he will be held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

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