Former Parlier Unified teacher and coach charged with sex crimes

Former Parlier High School math teacher and varsity basketball coach Anthony Lepore was officially charged with two felonies related to alleged sexual contact with a student on Friday.

Lepore turned himself in on Friday, then was released on bond. He will be in court next week.

Police arrested 25-year-old Lepore in January. He was allegedly caught with a 16-year-old girl at 2 a.m. when her parents were waiting as he dropped her off.

"They waited for their daughter to come home," said Sgt. Noel Johnson, Sanger Police Department. "They then confronted the suspect as he brought her home. Then there was an altercation between the suspect and the victim's parents."

Parlier Unified School District Superintendent, Gerardo Alvarez, said Lepore taught math at the school. He taught 9th through 12th grades. He was also the coach for the boys' varsity basketball team.

Alvarez says Lepore started working for the district August 20th and it was his first teaching job. Lepore had recently graduated from Fresno State and was recommended by a former Fresno County Superintendent.