COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A former Colorado Springs police officer accused of sexually assaulting 22 children while volunteering as a school wrestling coach has pleaded not guilty.
Thirty-year-old Joshua Carrier entered his plea Tuesday. A six-week jury trial is scheduled to begin March 12.
The Gazette reports ( ) student wrestlers at Mann Middle School said Carrier fondled them during “weigh-ins,” when they are checked for communicable skin diseases. Others said they were groped while Carrier checked them for contraband or injuries.
His attorney, Christopher Decker, has said the case is driven by “fear, guilt and innuendo,” and by families eager to sue after Carrier’s earlier arrest on suspicion of possessing child pornography DVDs. Carrier’s trial on pornography charges is scheduled to start Jan. 9.
Carrier resigned as a police officer in June.
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Information from: The Gazette,
