Hawaii basketball coach pleads not guilty to sexual assault

WAILUKU — A former girls basketball coach on Maui has pleaded not guilty to charges he had an inappropriate relationship with an underage athlete.

Hawaii News Now reported Thursday that 37-year-old Jonathan Furtado pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 17 counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of second-degree sexual assault.

The station reports that Furtado was suspended in March 2018 from the private Seabury Hall school for grades 6-12.

School officials say he may have had an inappropriate relationship with an athlete who was not a student there.

Furtado’s attorney says he did not commit the crimes of which he is accused.

Court records indicate Furtado’s trial is scheduled for June 3 and that he is free after posting a $1 million bail bond.

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Information from: KGMB-TV, http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/