A former Decatur High School coach and trainer was arrested last week on a child sex charge.
FERNANDO ESCOBAR
Fernando Escobar was booked into the Wise County Jail on a charge of indecency with a child by sexual contact last Thursday. Jail records show he was released the same day on $10,000 bond.
Indecency with a child by sexual contact is a second degree felony, which carries a potential prison term of two to 20 years.
Authorities have released few details about the alleged incident, citing the nature of the case and ongoing investigation.
Wise County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Eric Debus said the alleged assault happened earlier this year.
“We were contacted by the mother of a 15-year-old female who stated she was sexually assaulted in April by a physical therapist in Decatur,” Debus said. “Our crimes against children investigator met with the family and did a forensic interview. The victim said she was inappropriately touched by Fernando Escobar.”
The alleged incident happened at Escobar’s place of business in Decatur, Debus said. Jail records indicate an offense date of April 24.
Debus said only one alleged victim has made an outcry in the case.
The Messenger on Friday submitted a Public Information Act request for the arrest affidavit — a public record where an officer outlines probable cause for an arrest warrant — but had not yet received the information by Wednesday morning.
The paper received a letter on Tuesday from Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Kim Redman stating she is seeking an opinion from the state attorney general’s office regarding the request. Redman said in the letter she believes the information in the affidavit should not be disclosed to the public due to the following exceptions to the PIA law: (1) the report contains highly intimate or embarrassing facts about a person’s private affairs, such that its release would be highly objectionable to a reasonable person, and is no legitimate concern to the public; and (2) protection of the identity of minor children mentioned in the report.
Escobar has worked with local athletes for at least the past 15 years, according to Messenger archives. He was previously employed as trainer and golf coach at Decatur High School before leaving the school district in 2020. Since then, he has worked as director of sports and fitness at Fit-N-Wise in Decatur. He currently leads Top Tier Performance out of Sports Rehab & Physical Therapy in Decatur.
According to Messenger archives, Escobar has worked with numerous student athletes from multiple local schools over the years, with some athletes going on to the collegiate and even professional levels of their sport.
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