Former Marlins All-Star’s Father Accused Of Molestation
No humor here, just disturbing allegations coming out of Florida.
The father of former Marlins All-Star catcher Charles Johnson has been arrested and accused of molesting two girls ages 12 and 16 who are students at the school where he coaches baseball and teaches math. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
Fort Pierce Westwood High School math teacher and baseball coach Charles Edward Johnson Sr., 55, has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation, according to the reports.
Johnson has been the head baseball coach at Westwood for 24 years, first from 1979 to 1994 then from 2002 to this past season. Westwood has been to the state finals once during Johnson’s tenure, back in 1988 when the team finished 21-9 and were beaten by Tampa-Plant in the Class 3A championship game, 12-2.
The family is not commenting and Johnson is denying the claims that have been made against him. It’s too early to say much about this, so I’ll reserve angry “chop someone’s head off” comments until later, but stories like this one do not have happy endings for anyone involved. Either he did it, and committed the worst crime that a teacher can commit, or he has had an accusation attached to his name that will probably be permanently attached to him for the rest of his life. Either two children’s lives have been harmed, or one man’s name has been slandered.
Not good either way that it turns out.
His son, Charles, played for his dad in high school and had a successful career with the Marlins, Dodgers, Orioles, White Sox, Rockies and Devil Rays.