Teacher’s aide and coach accused of sex assault

Teacher’s aide and coach accused of sex assault

Coronado High School teacher’s aide and girls basketball coach Benjamin Wilkerson was arrested on suspicious of sexual assault of a child of one in a position of trust.

A teacher’s aide, who is also a coach at Coronado High School is accused of sexual assault. This is the fourth time a Southern Colorado educator’s been arrested since the beginning of the year.

Benjamin Wilkerson, 26 is suspected of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.

“It’s kind of a bummer that our school has to suffer that blow to our reputation like that,” said senior student Max Broman.

Wilkerson is a teacher’s aide at Coronado. He was advised of his charges on Wednesday (2/19/14). He’s accused of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 15.

“That’s just sad and it’s scary. Who can you trust?” said parent Lori Bitner.

Wilkerson also coaches the school’s girl’s basketball team.

“I usually feel like when I’m with a coach I should be learning how to play a game,” said Hunter Bitner.

Bitner went to Coronado High School for a year and a half. He’s now taking online classes, but when he was at Coronado, he said, he never felt anything that might make him feel uncomfortable with a coach or anything. I felt safe there, he said.

Coronado High is Bitner’s mom’s alma mater. She says when she was in school, sex assault charges were never a topic on campus.

“Never a teacher; our teachers were always respected and revered,” said Bitner.

This being the fourth educator in Southern Colorado to be arrested for sex assault since Jan. 1, 2014, parents and students say something needs to be done.

“Background checks; be careful about who we’re hiring now,” said Bitner.

“Like my mom said, background checks,” said Hunter Bitner.

Wilkerson is now on unpaid leave. He will be back in court on March 3 at nine 9 a.m. He’s being held on $25,000 bond.