Police arrested a Pike High School girl’s basketball coach Friday afternoon on a preliminary charge of child seduction.
Sara Strahm, 28, Indianapolis, was arrested following an interview with police about alleged sexual contact with a 17-year-old female student, said Sgt. Paul Thompson of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
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Investigators believe a relationship started in the fall of this year between the coach and the student, Thompson said.
“We believe there were five instances of sexual contact between these two individuals,” Thompson said. “State law clearly states that if you’re under 18, you can’t give consent if it’s a relationship with someone in a position of trust such as a school official.”
Formal charges have not yet been filed, Thompson said, and he said more specific details on the case will be available when a probable-cause affidavit is filed “probably Monday.”
The investigation into Strahm’s activities continues, and police want to know if there might have been other students involved, Thompson said.
A Pike Township School Board member had not heard of the arrest when contacted today by a reporter from The Star.
“I’m saddened to hear of an arrest,” said Nancy Poore, in her second term on the board. “I’m not passing judgment on whether this is accurate information or whether anything will be proven against this person. … But I’m always saddened when I hear there’s a problem related to one of our staff members.”
School officials likely would “let the courts and the justice system work through their process,” before taking any disciplinary action, Poore said, though she referred further questions to the school superintendent.
Superintendent Nathaniel Jones could not be reached this afternoon.
A message left on Strahm’s cell phone today was not immediately returned.
Strahm was still being held in the Arrestee Processing Center as of 6 p.m. Stoday, Thompson said.
