A prominent youth sports coach in Orange County has been arrested after allegations of sexual misconduct with minors surfaced.
Chris Flores, also known as “Coach Frogg,” was arrested in Bakersfield for sexual assault of a minor, according to Sgt. Maria Lopez with the Santa Ana Police Department.
Late last week, allegations of grooming and inappropriate contact with girls surfaced and police began investigating him, according to the Orange County Register.
In a press release, police said Flores, a 37-year-old Bellflower resident, was investigated based on “allegations made by two victims, who indicated Flores sexually assaulted them.”
The first of the allegations was brought to the attention of detectives on Aug. 5, when a 14-year-old Riverside girl who was coached by Flores at the STARS Preparatory Academy said “Flores sexually assaulted her multiple times throughout the year in 2021,” police said.
“The victim reported numerous incidents occurring in the cities of Anaheim and Santa Ana. The STARS Preparatory Academy held a training program on the campus of Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana where several of these assaults were reported to have occurred,” the release added.
A recording of a phone call between a girl and Flores shared with KTLA includes the man pressuring the girl to join him on a date and him asking if she was “sure you got rid of everything,” a recording that police confirmed they received.
Flores was booked into the Orange County Jail and is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail, police said.
Police added that they “learned that a second victim, a 15-year-old girl from Irvine, made similar allegations against Flores to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department sometime in August 2022.”
“That incident is being investigated by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department,” the release said.
Flores, who coached high-profile athletes like reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young of Alabama and Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, has been fired from STARS Preparatory Academy and STARS SOCAL, the academy’s owner announced Wednesday on Instagram.
“Never in a million years would I ever imagine releasing a public statement to address sexual misconduct allegations involving Mr. Flores and our innocent little girls,” Jason David said.
“The STARS family has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct and we have severed all ties with Mr. Flores. Moreover, we are fully cooperating with the Santa Ana Police Department’s investigation,” the academy added in the caption of David’s video post. “We all still have many questions and at this time, not a lot of answers. One certain thing is this: we are a family; our students, staff, and our partners. Families overcome challenges by healing together. I truly hope that together we can take steps to rebuild a stronger STARS family.”
On Friday, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa/Calvary Chapel Schools issued a statement explaining that though STARS Academy had rented part of their facility, it is separate from CCCM, and Flores “was never employed by CCCM. He also was never a member of CCCM.”
“We are shocked and saddened to hear news of these criminal allegations. While the staff of STARS are not affiliated with CCCM, we cannot help but feel the immense pain, hurt, and confusion of the situation. Our prayers are for the individuals and their families. CCCM will continue to work with all authorities in their ongoing investigations. Due to the criminal allegations, CCCM will not have any further communication about these allegations out of respect for the Law Enforcement investigation,” the statement added.
However, this is not the first time Flores has been accused of sexual misconduct, according to Uiagalelei’s father, Dave, who said Flores “tried to do that to my niece” two years ago.
“I just pray that this time around, that all the victims that haven’t come forward — because we know there’s more — I pray that you guys understand that coming forward is the best thing you can do to stop a predator like this man,” Uiagalelei said.
Flores was also charged with rape in Pasadena in 2009, though he was found not guilty on all charges in 2010, ESPN reported.
Police said they also believe there are other victims, and anyone with information is asked to call Detective Matthew Thomas at 714-245-8346, email him at mthomas@santa-ana.org or call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
