On Tuesday, February 6th, Pitman High assistant wrestling coach was arrested, Derek William Young. According to the Turlock Journal he was arrested due to the suspicion of child molestation. He was arrested in Modesto according to an investigation of the suspected crime that happened in Ripon more than 10 years ago. He was taken to Stanislaus County Jail on three felony charges. The article from the Turlock Journal also states lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 and inappropriate acts with a child under 10.
Overall, these acts are genuinely disgusting and gut wrenching to think about. In my opinion, someone who is accused of – and then found guilty of – being a sex offender belongs longer in jail. He also volunteered to be a wrestling coach here at Pitman, on our campus.
Usually when someone is found guilty of a crime like this, it can result in imprisonment and the requirement to register as a sex offender for life.
I interviewed three students about this case. The first student I interviewed is currently on the wrestling team but wanted to remain anonymous. I asked him: how was coach Derek as a person?
He responded, “I didn’t really have a relationship with him, but he was one of the varsity coaches and he would help us out sometimes.”
I also asked him: do you have anything to say about the case he is currently involved in?
He replied, “I’m not quite sure where my opinion stands, but I do know that [if what he is accused of is true] it was very wrong of him to do [that].”
The second student I asked a question to was Shyla Volk-Wood, a wrestler here at Pitman High School. I asked her: after finding out about Coach Derek how did you feel about what he is accused of?
She replied, “I felt fine, but it didn’t really affect me or anything, but overall, I just thought it was really weird. He was chill but I didn’t expect [this] and it was just out of nowhere.”
The last student I interviewed was previously on the wrestling team but chose to be anonymous, but the question I asked him was: how long do you think his sentence should be if he is found guilty of the crime he is suspected of committing?
He replied, “For life, because he’s [accused of] messing around with little kids, and he shouldn’t be doing that.”
From my perspective, I strongly believe that if anyone commits an act like the one Young is accused of, they should be in prison for life. The reason why is because it can affect a child’s mentality and cause trauma for life for those victims.