BOULDER — Supporters of a former youth hockey coach accused of sending sexual text and Internet messages to children packed the tiny courtroom at the Boulder County Jail on Friday afternoon as Zachary Meints made his first appearance before a judge.
Meints, 23, turned himself in Thursday. He faces five counts of Internet sexual exploitation of children, and Boulder police think there may be more victims.
Deputy District Attorney Adrian Van Nice said Meints sent “thousands” of explicit text messages and Internet messages to children during the two years he worked a coach with the Boulder Hockey Club.
“This was not a one-time mistake or error,” Van Nice said. “This is years of contact with many, many children. This is a serious case that involves a long pattern of behavior.”
Boulder detectives say they interviewed 13 teenagers in relation to the case, who in turn led to other possible victims. Five of them were under the age of 15 when Meints allegedly exchanged inappropriate messages with them, and are the basis for the five felony counts.
Meints’ defense attorney, Richard Bloch, said no one has had a chance to review the context of the messages and there may be a lot of mitigating circumstances. Meints is not accused of having any inappropriate physical contact with children.
Boulder police said the case remains under investigation.
Bloch asked that Meints, who sat quietly with his head down, dressed in a green suicide-prevention smock, be released on his own recognizance. Meints has no prior criminal history and has lived in Colorado his entire life, Bloch said.
“There are probably 50 people here who, knowing about this, wanted to come to show their support,” Bloch said, referring to the friends and family members in court. “There are many people in the Boulder community who will make sure he remains law-abiding.”
Boulder District Judge John Stavely pointed out that bond was set for $100,000 for Boulder County Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Ferguson, who faces similar charges.
Bloch said that his client was “in a fragile state” and likely would be seeking counseling if he were released.
Van Nice asked for $50,000 bail, saying the long pattern of behavior indicated that Meints was a risk to children.
Stavely set bail at $35,000. He also ordered that Meints have no contact with anyone under the age of 18.
Bloch said that Meints has a sibling who is 17. He asked for an exception to the restriction so that the entire family could live under one roof.
Meints’ supporters gasped in dismay as Stavely denied the request and told Bloch to take up the matter Tuesday with Judge Karolyn Quevli, before whom Meints is scheduled to be charged.
Meints’ friends and family declined to speak with reporters at the hearing, with the exception of one woman, who declined to give her name but said Meints was innocent and “the whole thing has been blown out of proportion.”
