The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A man who won a gold medal for boxing in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles has been arrested and charged for allegations that he molested a young girl who was receiving instruction at a boxing club where he worked as a head coach.
Light flyweight division boxer Paul Gonzales, the first gold medal winning Mexican-American who was locally dubbed “prince of the barrio,” has been employed at the LA County Parks and Recreation Department’s Eddie Heredia Boxing Club as a head coach for youngsters for the past 10 years. Gonzales has worked with children age 8 and above who were enrolled in the programs. The 53-year-old has also been awarded with a community service award from the World Boxing Council for his personal contributions.
At some point in the last year Gonzales reportedly met a 13-year-old girl who was enrolled at the club in an after school program. It is believed that he cultivated a relationship with her that led to molestation said to have taken place over a three month period beginning in early May.