A former University of Northern Colorado women’s golf coach was found guilty late last month of inappropriately touching a female student during a lesson in 2023.
A Weld County jury convicted Benjamin Portie, 47, of unlawful sexual contact on Sept. 26, according to a Weld County District Attorney’s Office news release.
The charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor and carries up to 18 months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both. Portie will be sentenced at 3 p.m. Dec. 12 in Division 5 of Weld County District Court.
Portie was the women’s golf coach at UNC from 2017 until he resigned from the program in 2021. He was not employed by UNC at the time of the incident.
The victim, who was a female golfer at the University of Colorado, said Portie placed himself behind her during a lesson, pressed his body into her and touched her vagina multiple times, the release states.
“This was a chance to say, enough is enough and we don’t tolerate that type of behavior in Weld County,” Deputy District Attorney Erin Burnoe was quoted in the release. “We’ll continue holding people accountable for unlawful sexual contact.”
Deputy District Attorney Christopher Binger also prosecuted the case.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct that the victim was a golfer at the University of Colorado. An earlier version reported the incorrect school due to a source error.
