High School Basketball Assistant Coach Charged with Lewd Acts Involving Two Minors

An assistant coach at Simi Valley High (Calif.) engaged in lewd acts with girls in a van and nearby hotel on multiple occasions.

A Simi Valley man who worked as an assistant basketball coach at a local high school has been charged with committing lewd acts involving two teenage girls. / SBLive

Jabari DeShields, who was working as an assistant boys basketball coach at Simi Valley High School in Southern California, has been charged with five counts of lewd acts upon a child with the special allegation that the two victims were vulnerable, according to a press release from the Ventura County District Attorney's office.

DeShields made his first appearance in Ventura County Superior Court on November 10 and pled not guilty to all charges.

The 36-year-old is accused of approaching two 14-year-old female victims at a Simi Valley business.

"He is charged with engaging in lewd acts with the girls in his van and at a nearby hotel on multiple occasions. An alert community member notified the Simi Valley Police Department (SVPD) of suspicious activity at a local park after they saw the victims exit DeShields’ van. On November 6, 2025, DeShields was arrested by SVPD Major Crimes Detectives," the release reads.

The Simi Valley Police Department issued a release on November 6 citing DeShields' arrest:

"In October 2025, the Simi Valley Police Department was notified by a mandated reporter of allegations involving an adult male suspected of engaging in sexual acts with two minor female victims. The suspect was later identified as Jabari DeShields, a 36-year-old resident of Simi Valley."

"During the course of the investigation, detectives determined that DeShields was employed as an assistant walk-on basketball coach with the Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD). The investigation revealed that DeShields met the victims at a local business during non-school hours. One of the juvenile victims is enrolled with the SVUSD independent studies program."

"The second juvenile victim is not a SVUSD student. The victims were enrolled in SVUSD at the time of the alleged conduct, but they were not attending the same school as the individual named in the allegation."

"Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit immediately began a comprehensive investigation into the allegations. On the morning of November 6, 2025, DeShields was arrested by Major Crimes Detectives."

DeShields is scheduled to return to court for an early disposition conference on November 21, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12. He currently remains in custody with bail set at $20,000.

The news comes soon after the boys basketball program appointed a new boys basketball coach in Robert Loehle. Loehle announced he was the new varsity head coach on his Instagram page on August 19.

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