Woodlands coach accused of assault

Girl told police she was groped before practice

A club softball coach in The Woodlands is accused of sexually assaulting one of his 14-year-old players, court records show.

Juan Manuel Corona, 44, was arrested Thursday after a days-long investigation. One of Corona’s players came forward on Jan. 2 and told detectives with the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office that the coach sexually assaulted her before practice one day in May and at least on two other occasions in 2017.

During the May encounter, the girl told detectives Corona picked her up from her Woodlands-area junior high school for a private softball lesson. When Corona parked in the softball field parking lot, the girl told him about some soreness in her leg, so Corona told her “let me see what I can do,” according to court documents.

Corona moved toward the girl and began rubbing her leg. He then sexually assaulted her, according to court documents, despite the girl repeatedly telling him “no.”

Immediately after the assault, court documents state, Corona told her not to tell anyone or “bad things would happen to her.” He also allegedly told her she would “be forced to do things she didn’t want to do” if she told anyone.

During the summer break, the girl told detectives that Corona did not assault her because she usually had a friend or other family member with her during the practices. But at the beginning of the following semester, Corona allegedly assaulted her twice more in the same way he did before — in the softball field parking lot before their private lesson.

During each of the three instances, Corona allegedly threatened her not to tell anyone. The girl and one of her friends, who also took lessons from Corona, told detectives he purchased alcohol for them at least once.

Corona was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300,000 bond. He was charged with three second-degree felony counts of sexual assault of a child, each of which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.

No attorney for Corona was listed on court documents.