A “reprehensible” Westchester County youth basketball coach was charged with molesting a young girl on at least two occasions over a five-month period, prosecutors said Thursday.
Dwayne Murray, 62, who coached the Mount Vernon Junior Knights basketball team, was ordered held without bail after being hit with a felony charge of sexual conduct against a child, Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace said at a press briefing.
Cacace said Murray made “some admissions” concerning the alleged abuse.
“It is alleged that between Oct. 1, 2023, and March 1, 2023, Murray engaged in two or more acts of sexual conduct with a child who is less than 13 years old, including one act of oral sexual conduct,” she said.
“There is no crime we take more seriously than offenses committed against children, especially offenses of a sexual nature.”
Cacace said authorities got a tip about the alleged abuse on April 12 and launched an investigation.
Police seized Murray’s phone and electronic devices — and found that “the defendant had exchanged text messages with the victim in which he discussed performing oral sex on the victim.”
The disgraced coach was arrested and arraigned in Mount Vernon City Court on Wednesday.
The shocking arrest came after Murray posted a six-minute video on Facebook claiming the allegations were “absolutely, completely false,” according to a report by lohud.com.
Cacace on Thursday would not reveal if the young victim played on Murray’s team or where the alleged sexual abuse took place.
The Junior Knights are part of the suburban city’s storied basketball program.
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