Mt. Pleasant High School track coach arrested

An assistant track coach at an East San Jose high school who allegedly had inappropriate relationships with two students was arrested earlier this week, police said Thursday.

Enoch Garcia, 21, of San Jose, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of having sexual intercourse with a minor and lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, police Officer Albert Morales said.

The 21-year-old man was an assistant track and cross country coach at Mt. Pleasant High School for two years before his arrest, said Cari Vaeth, associate superintendent of human resources at the East Side Union High School District.

On Monday, a district employee contacted police to report an inappropriate relationship between a student and an assistant coach, later identified as Garcia, Morales said.

An investigation showed Garcia allegedly had a sexual relationships two students, ages 14 and 17, enrolled at the school, according to Morales.

On Tuesday, Garcia was interviewed by the police department’s Internet Crimes Against Children/Child Exploit Detail task force and arrested, Morales said.

The suspect was booked into the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas, where he is being held on $200,000 bail, according to jail records.

Vaeth said:

“In this case we have an employee who violated the trust of the district and the students.”

Garcia is a 2012 graduate of the high school and was terminated from his position as a part-time coach on Monday, when a teacher reported the alleged relationship to the district, she said.

In response, the district notified police and Child Protective Services, she said.

The principal has addressed students in response to the arrest and counselors are available on campus for support, according to Vaeth.

District officials are cooperating with the police investigation, she said.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police Detective Sgt. Spears or Detective Jourdenais at (408) 537-1381. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at (408) 947-7867.