UPDATE: SCV swim coach accused of child sex crimes, dies as arrest loomed in Costa Rica
An accomplished Santa Clarita Valley swim coach died this week just as he was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Costa Rica on suspicion of performing lewd acts with a child.
Jeremy Anderson, 47, was taken into custody and was in the process of being extradited from the Central American country and brought back to the U.S., Sgt. Brian Hudson, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Special Victims Bureau, said Thursday.
On Wednesday night, members of the Canyons Aquatic Club, where Anderson coached swimmers, received an email from club officials informing them that Anderson had died.
Details about the sudden death have not yet been released.
Canyons Aquatic Club President Carole Horst issued a statement Thursday, which reads: "Canyons Aquatic Club is aware of the death of Jeremy Anderson.
"Canyons Aquatic Club had been fully cooperating with authorities investigating the allegations involving Anderson, which were of great concern to the club," the statement said. "We have worked closely for some time with SafeSport, and the impacted families in the club have shown great strength and resilience in confronting this horrible situation.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, who hopefully can find closure on the path to healing."
The scope of the investigation into allegations about Anderson grew.
"At first we had one victim reported and we ended up with 11 victims," Hudson said, reflecting on the investigation.
In December 2017, Special Victims Bureau detectives began investigating the circumstances regarding the alleged sexual assault of a child that occurred between the years of 2006 and 2011 by his swim instructor in Santa Clarita.
The victim told detectives that he had been assaulted by Jeremy Anderson, who was his swim instructor at Canyons Aquatic Club. The club is based out of College of the Canyons, according to the program's website.
The allegations were brought to the attention of the Sheriff's Department by a representative from SafeSport.
As the investigation evolved, detectives said they identified additional children who were victimized by Anderson.
The incidents with these multiple victims occurred at various locations between 2006 and 2017.
Anderson's conduct allegedly included having sexually explicit conversations with the victims, sexually assaulting them and soliciting child pornography.
On Dec. 18, 2018, detectives presented their case to prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.
The D.A. then filed 19 counts of lewd acts with a child and possession of child pornography against Anderson.
Detectives learned Anderson had fled from the United States prior to being able to take him into custody. An arrest warrant was issued.
Last week, on June 13, the United States Marshall's Service, Pacific South West Fugitive Task Force, assisted by the Sheriff's Department, tracked Anderson to Costa Rica, where they then arrested him.
SafeSport is an organization entrusted with the authority to respond to reports of sexual misconduct with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Special Victims Bureau toll-free tip line at 877-710-5273 or by email at [email protected] The Special Victims Bureau is tasked with investigating the sexual and physical abuse of children and felonious sexual assaults involving adult victims.
If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), or use your smartphone by downloading the "P3 Tips" Mobile APP or "P3 Mobile" for the hearing impaired on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website https://lacrimestoppers.org.
On Twitter @jamesarthurholt