South Philly Review

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The head coach of the Ss. Neumann-Goretti baseball team was arrested for allegedly supplying a minor with alcohol Monday and put behind bars the following night for an allegation of sexual abuse.

Lou Spadaccini, 37, of the 2600 block of South Iseminger Street, allegedly picked up a 14-year-old boy from his home at 4:45 p.m. Sunday and checked into a hotel at the Holiday Inn, 900 Packer Ave., Officer Jill Russell of the Police Public Affairs Unit said. He is believed to have given the minor alcohol and had slipped a Xanex in his drink. After the boy’s parents repeatedly called and texted the boy, Spadaccini allegedly drove him home at 8:30 p.m.

Spadaccini posted part of his $15,000 bail after his arraignment Tuesday — the same day police informed the Archdiocese of the charges.

After press conferences announcing his arrest, a 13-year-old boy came forward citing three separate sexual incidents with Spadaccini — once at Spadaccini’s South Philly home and twice at the Holiday Inn between July and August, Russell said. He was arrested again at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Spadaccini, a five-year head coach for the high school, 1736 S. 10th St., was charged with involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, interference with custody of a child, endangering the welfare of a child, luring a child into a motor vehicle, corruption of a minor, furnishing alcohol to a minor, possession of a controlled substance and manufacture and delivery or possession with intent to deliver and related offences, according to court records.

“We’re just really shocked,” John Murawski, the school’s president, said yesterday. “The community as a whole just feels betrayed. This is well-respected and beloved member of our athletic program.”

Spadaccini only coached for the East Passyunk Crossing school as his day job is at Center City’s Criminal Justice Center working as part of the courtroom operations staff. The two-time Catholic League Coach of the Year had criminal background checks and child abuse clearances prior to his hiring as an assistant coach in 2006, but now has been put on administrative leave, according to the Archdiocese, which sent a letter home to parents Tuesday.

“There’s been a joint concern that we’ve all been betrayed,” Murawski said of parents who have reached out to him. “We’re all in agreement that it’s the last thing we saw coming. Obviously, the fear with anything like this is that parents would react hastily to the school — ‘You should not have put my child in this situation.’”

However, even though some parents noted Spadaccini spent a lot of time with the athletes, they trusted “Coach” as they called him.

“There’s really never a thought that something other that athletics is going on,” Murawski said.

The archdiocese has supplied the school with counselors and additional support services starting yesterday and the administration will reach out to members of the baseball team and their families for a meeting, which will not be open to the public, but will consist of a prayer service and an opportunity to address the families’ concerns and questions, Murawski said of the squad that is like a family on and off the field.

With baseball season six months away, finding a new leader for the squad is not a priority.

“We do realize keeping the team active and announcing a new coach is the next step, but it’s one we haven’t come to yet,” Murawski said.

Spadaccini, a 1992 St. John Neumann High School, 2600 Moore St., grad and two-time All-Catholic, First-Team outfielder has led the Saints to their first City and Catholic League Championships since ’58 and ’60, respectively, in 2009 and repeated that feat this year. South Philly Review ranked the Temple grad as Coach of the Year in ’09 while readers dubbed him as top high school coach the next year.

Spadaccini is due back in court at 9 a.m. Oct. 6 for the arraignment of his preliminary hearing, according to court records. He did not return an e-mail seeking comment.

The archdiocese is urging anyone with information or who may need to speak with a counselor to contact the Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection at 888-800-8780 or e-mail philayac@adphila.org.

“I think the most important thing is just to assure the archdiocese and our community that we, at the forefront, are about and focused on protecting children — creating a network of safety and protection for them — that’s our bottom line,” Leslie Davila, the archdiocese’s Office for Child and Youth Protection director, said at a press conference. “We want to make sure our children are protected.”

To report information, call the Special Victims Unit at 215-685-3251.or visit www.phillypolice.com/forms.

Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.

Also in this week's Police Report:
Home blockade
Game impact
Thrill for good cause
Police meetings 09-22-11