A former Special Olympics soccer coach accused of sexually assaulting a player with intellectual disabilities appeared in court Thursday, the Reading Eagle reported.
Michael Aaron Sheldon, 28, of Reading, was charged March 19 with rape, involuntary deviate sexual assault, aggravated assault and indecent assault, the newspaper reported.
Sheldon remains in jail in lieu of a $250,000 bond, WFMZ reported.
Sheldon is accused of assaulting a 24-year-old man on July 15, the Eagle reported.
The victim has been diagnosed with autism, bipolar depression, ADHD and is intellectually disabled, according to court records.
Sheldon admitted to investigators that he had kissed the victim but denied having sexual contact with him, the Eagle reported.
Sheldon was suspended in July when Special Olympics officials learned about the allegations, Nicole Jones, the organization’s senior director of marketing, told the newspaper.
Sheldon also was employed as a paraprofessional in the Reading School District from late August until his arrest, according to a district spokeswoman.
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