GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A former athletic volunteer at Ottawa Hills High School is facing multiple criminal charges for allegedly sexually abusing an underage student, according to court documents.
Sharmon Eubanks was arraigned in May on four counts of criminal sexual conduct and one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes.
The victim, reportedly an Ottawa Hills basketball player under the age of 16, was allegedly involved in a relationship with Eubanks lasting several months from September to November last year.
The victim's mother reported the situation to police in December after receiving an anonymous notification on Facebook.
Grand Rapids Public Schools released a statement to Fox 17 saying, "Mr. Eubanks passed a background check and was an athletics volunteer briefly at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. He was never an employee or coach at GRPS."
The district confirmed that Eubanks has not volunteered since October.
The Children's Advocacy Center of Kent County continues its efforts to create safe spaces for victims of sexual assault.
Megan Van Whye, a clinical supervisor at the center, highlighted the importance of parents maintaining close relationships with their children.
"What can be really empowering for adults is just that really close relationship with your child," Van Whye said, emphasizing parental instincts in detecting off situations.
The center educates parents and children on signs of abuse or neglect, such as "intentional one on one time, maybe additional gifts, or maybe just a close relationship with somebody," which Van Whye explains can facilitate grooming under secrecy.
Van Whye advocates for parents to have open conversations with their children to prevent tricky situations.
"Kids find themselves in tricky situations, and they're just not sure what to do, and so by having those conversations with your kids early and often, you can prevent a lot of those situations from happening," Van Whye said.
Eubanks remains in custody at the Kent County Jail with a bond set at $100,000. He is scheduled to appear in court next week.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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