A well-known youth golf coach in the Bay Area has been charged with 65 felonies for allegedly sexually assaulting at least two of his students.
Andrew Nisbet, 31, taught students at Las Positas Golf Course in Livermore, where he allegedly met some of his victims. Livermore is located at the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. When he is scheduled to appear in court next month, prosecutors said he will be charged in connection with a third student.
Prosecutors allege Nisbet used his persona as the "cool coach" to gain trust with his victims, some of whom were as young as 14, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
He's now behind bars at Santa Rita Jail being held without bail in light of the number of counts and the multiple victims alleged.
“He really used the coach-athlete relationship to his advantage,” Livermore Police Officer Steve Goard said.
Nisbet is said to have abused teenage boys from December 2009 through March 2012 “in his car, at events and also in the parking lot of the golf course.”
DOWNLOAD: Complaint vs. Andrew Nisbet
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He was arrested at the golf course at 10 a.m. Saturday, one day before he was to be honored as the 2013 Northern California PGA Junior Golf Leader.
Nisbet "admitted" to lewd acts during an interview with police, the newspaper reported.
He has since been fired from the course, where golfers contacted by the newspaper called Nisbet a "nice guy" who didn't put out any bad "vibes."
Neighbor Jeremy West said he saw detectives at Nesbit's Jackson Avenue home on Saturday.
"There's going to be some people freaking out in the neighborhood," West said. "I don't want to see him again. He doesn't need to be around here."
The news of the alleged child molestations have neighbors concerned.
"It's horrifically scary. We feel it's a pretty safe neighborhood," said Kay Forgatszh, a neighbor. "We know all of our neighbors up and down. They've only been there for about a year. We haven't met them."
Livermore police said, that as a nationally acclaimed golf coach, Nisbet had access to hundreds of children and used his position to sexually victimize at least three of them -- likely more.
“He showered them with expensive equipment,” Goard said, “picking them up to and from practice and also having parties at his house, providing them alcohol, getting them drunk and then figuring out which kid he could get close to and which kids would keep it a secret.”
Livermore police said the suspect could have more victims.
“We have been giving information that he potentially victimized children in Michigan, Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina,” Goard said. “And some of the kids were victimized at these golf events.”
Nisbet is charged with 65 counts of child molestation and lewd and lascivious acts on a minor for performing oral sex on two students -- and forcing them to do the same -- and distributing lewd material.
He developed a successful junior golf program and traveled the country, which is why police here are alerting law enforcement in four other states.
Nisbet appeared in court Tuesday to face the 65 charges related to two of the victims. Police will ask the district attorney to file charges related to the third victim later this week.
Calls to Nisbet's attorney seeking comment were not returned Tuesday.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to come forward.
