Soccer coach sex case will proceed

A trial date of Nov. 9 trial date was set Wednesday for former Sonoma Valley soccer coach Gregory Tatton, accused of molesting a teenage player, after a judge denied his attorney’s motion for dismissal.
At the pre-trial hearing. Judge Arthur Wick ruled there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Tatton. He now faces 20 counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a 15-year-old girl.
Tatton coached a Sonoma Valley Soccer Association team for five years. He came under suspicion of parents and league officials in the fall of 2007. Concerns included “improper interactions” with young players, according to the California Youth Soccer Association. The team was then disbanded, but the sexual conduct with one girl allegedly continued.
The parents of the abused girl, and another source close to her, contacted police in December 2007, presenting information which resulted in an emergency protective order and a three-year restraining order.
Tatton had initially been charged with 31 counts. He has been free on bail since his arrest in April.
In Wick’s Santa Rosa courtroom on Wednesday, Tatton’s attorney argued detectives had used illegal means to collect evidence, and the girl had made conflicting statements. The judge denied both arguments..