Trial begins for Ceres swim coach accused of misconduct with girls
Attorneys are expected to give their opening statements Thursday morning as a trial begins for a longtime Ceres swim coach accused of misconduct with two teenage girls.
Tracy Bull was the head coach of the Ceres Dolphins Swim Team two years ago, when he was arrested on suspicion of having inappropriate communications of a sexual nature with a teenager on the swim team, according to Ceres police.
Prosecutors later formally charged the 54-year-old coach based on allegations involving two girls. He now faces two misdemeanor counts of annoying or molesting a child, according to Stanislaus Superior Court records available online.
Jury selection for the trial concluded about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. Superior Court Judge Ricardo Córdova said he would read the jury instructions Wednesday afternoon, and the attorneys can give their opening statements Thursday morning. The judge told the jurors the trial is expected to conclude Nov. 9.
About a month after Bull’s arrest, his attorney, Kirk McAllister, told The Modesto Bee that the case against his client was an attempt by the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office to divert attention from its own problems.
Prosecutors have alleged that Bull had inappropriate contact with a 14-year-girl and a 17-year-old girl in the few weeks before his arrest. The allegations that led to his arrest were reported to police June 14, 2016. Police questioned him the following day before arresting him.
Bull coached boys basketball and water polo at Ceres High School during the school year before his arrest. A Ceres Unified School District assistant superintendent said at that time that Bull will no longer coach for the district.
Ceres police officials have said the allegations that led to Bull’s arrest involved his role as head coach of the swim team, which uses the Ceres High pool and included swimmers from Ceres, Modesto, Turlock and surrounding communities.
Several hours after the coach’s arrest, the Ceres Dolphins board announced it had suspended Bull pending the outcome of the police investigation. The team — in existence for several decades —included about 170 boys and girls from 5 to 18 years old.
This story was originally published October 31, 2018 at 4:43 PM.