Fugitive coach’s activities at local school probed

Monday, Dec. 8, 2003 | 8:45 a.m.

Metro Police are continuing to investigate a coach at a Las Vegas private school who was arrested Friday on child sex abuse charges stemming from a previous teaching job in Texas, police said.

Christopher James Williams, 31, was arrested Friday as a fugitive from Houston at the Alexander Dawson School at Desert Inn Road near the Las Vegas Beltway, where he was the athletic director, a physical education teacher and soccer and flag football coach, Metro Sgt. Russell Shoemaker said.

Williams is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center awaiting extradition to Houston on five felony counts, including aggravated sexual assault with a child under 14, Shoemaker said.

Williams was contacted by members of the Internal Crimes Against Children Task Force and arrested without incident, Shoemaker said.

Houston authorities issued arrest warrants for Williams earlier last week, Shoemaker said. The Internal Crimes Against Children Task Force includes special agents of the FBI and Metro Police detectives.

School officials suspended Williams after the arrest.

Williams is a five-month resident of Las Vegas. Metro Police were investigating whether Williams had committed any crimes since joining the school's faculty in September.

Houston officials notified the Internal Crimes Against Children Task Force that Williams was wanted and might be in Southern Nevada. The charges involve two students at Holy Spirit Episcopal School in Houston, where Williams worked before moving to las Vegas.

Alexander Dawson officials sent letters home with each student Friday explaining what happened.

Williams has a fugitive hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Anyone with information is urged to contact either Metro's Sexual Assault Unit at 229-3421 or the local FBI Office at 385-1281.