Pierce County prosecutors have charged a longtime girls volleyball coach with raping and molesting one of his players. Lenny Llanos, 35, has pleaded not guilty to one count each of third-degree child rape, third-degree child molestation and communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
Puyallup police arrested Llanos on Dec. 31 after a 15-year-old girl told a law enforcement interviewer she’d performed a sex act on Llanos in October as he drove her home, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
He posted $10,000 bail and was released, pending trial, according to court records.
The girl said Llanos was her coach at a private volleyball club and that he initiated the sex, the records state, telling her he’d fantasized about her.
When confronted by investigators, Llanos first denied any wrongdoing, then said he’d exchanged sexually charged text messages with the girl but never touched her inappropriately, according to the affidavit.
“The defendant said he made poor choices,” the records state.
Efforts to reach Llanos or an attorney representing him were unsuccessful Wednesday. He is to return to court Jan. 22 for a pretrial hearing.
Llanos has been a fixture on the South Sound volleyball scene for more than 15 years. He served as an assistant coach at Fife High School and worked as head coach at White River High School in Buckley for several years.
Most recently, he coached for the Puget Sound Volleyball Club, a private organization where elite players hone their skills. The club has helped several girls win college scholarships.
Club director Kelly Kirk said Wednesday that the organization suspended Llanos as soon as it learned of his legal troubles.
Club officials have notified the parents of the girls on Llanos’ team and plan to notify the families of all 90 or so girls who belong to the club, Kirk said.
Llanos’ arrest shocked some of those who know him.
“He’s been a tremendous asset to our club and is well-respected in the volleyball community,” Kirk said.
Jan Kirk, longtime coach at Fife High and Kelly Kirk’s mother, said she hired Llanos as her assistant when he was 19.
“I’m absolutely devastated,” Jan Kirk said. “He is like a second son to me. He insists he’s innocent, and I hope he is.”
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644
blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime