A Waipahu High School track coach never sexually assaulted a member of his team, but became the target of "teenage revenge" by a girl upset that he stopped coaching her, a defense attorney said Thursday in the opening of the coach’s trial.
The prosecutor, however, told the jury that Erik Tamura violated the girl’s trust and the teenager testified that Tamura molested her at school and once at her home during her sophomore and junior years in 2010 and 2011.
Tamura, 38, also an English teacher at the school, is on trial on three counts of third-degree sexual assault.
He was placed on paid administrative leave following his arrest in February 2012.
Each sex assault count carries a prison term of up to five years.
Tamura is accused of molesting the student and track team member by slapping and grabbing her buttocks, touching her breasts and, on one occasion, pulling down her shorts at her home and putting his hand on her crotch.
Tamura’s attorney, Kenneth Shimozono, told the jury that when the girl made the complaint she was frustrated that Tamura was not spending time coaching her because of her "bad attitude." She was also dealing with her parents’ divorce, Shimozono said.
Despite her allegations, Shimozono said, the girl remained close to Tamura and continued to hang around his Waipahu High classroom.
He said the school conducted an investigation into the girl’s allegations, but decided not to take action.
Deputy Prosecutor Victoria Chang said Tamura spent time with the girl and her family, inviting her to lunch, shopping and parties.
She said Tamura gained the trust of the girl and family, then "breaks that trust by sexually assaulting her."
The teenager, now 18, testified that Tamura gave her a ride home, asked if she was alone and then molested her by pulling down her shorts and touching her private parts.
She said she was scared, but didn’t know what to do and didn’t tell anyone because it was "embarrassing."
She testified she eventually confided in a teacher, but didn’t discuss it earlier because "I thought I could just leave it behind and move on so I could focus on running."
The trial is expected to continue into next week before Circuit Judge Rom Trader.
