FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A former Cooper City youth baseball coach accused of inappropriately touching at least two boys who played on his team asked a Broward County judge Thursday to grant him bail.
David Solomon, 47, is being held in the Broward County Jail without bond and has pleaded not guilty to child molestation charges.
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Solomon's attorney tried to cast doubt on the allegations, claiming there wasn't proof evident or presumption great enough to prove that Solomon was guilty.
The victims' mothers took the stand Thursday, and Solomon's attorney showed text messages from one of them that he said showed she was angry with the coach for not giving her son enough playing time. He also implied that her son was unaffected by the alleged incidents and is back to playing baseball as if nothing happened. That is when she broke down on the stand.
"My son is scared to death of David," the woman said. "My son won't let his dad hold his hand or touch him. He won't let anyone but me around him."
The mother said her son is in counseling and was nearly hospitalized under the Baker Act because he threatened to commit suicide.
According to arrest reports, Solomon touched the 11-year-old boys' genitals and buttocks while they played in the Cooper City Optimist League with his son.
Detectives said the sex acts happened in Solomon's car and at sleepovers at the coach's home.
Solomon was previously arrested on molestation charges in 2000 while working as a physical education teacher at Hialeah Gardens Elementary School.
In that case, Solomon and his attorneys claimed that the two boys, who were under the age of 14, were lying. One of the boys eventually recanted his claims, and the state dropped the charges against Solomon.
A college friend of Solomon's testified on his behalf Thursday, however Judge Lisa Porter did not make a decision on whether to grant Solomon bail.
Porter is expected to hear more testimony Friday afternoon.
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