Marine Sergeant, Recruiter Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault Of Huntington Beach Student
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) – A Marine Corps sergeant has been arrested amid accusations he sexually assaulted a female student while he coached track and field at a Huntington Beach high school.
Active duty Marine Sgt. Gonzalo Castro, 28, was a Marine recruiter at Ocean View High School and Marina High School until Wednesday, according to police.
That's when he was arrested after the victim, who was 17 and a member of the track team at the time, said Castro sexually assaulted her during an off-campus training run.
Autumn Ebeling was on the same track team at Ocean View High School, where Castro had volunteered as a coach since November of last year.
She says she was in a different section of the team and didn't know him but heard her teammates talk about him.
"I heard that he was attractive and he was hot and everybody was just like obsessing over him," she said, adding that she was shocked by the news.
A spokesperson with the Marines told CBS2/KCAL9's Stacey Butler the Marine Corps is taking the allegations seriously and cooperating with police.
While police try to find out if there are additional victims, the school district has banned Castro from all campuses.