A college track and field coach in California has been arrested on charges of human trafficking and pimping after allegedly forcing two women into prostitution, according to a statement from the Costa County District Attorney’s Office.
Kyle Whitmore, Diablo Valley College @DVC_updates @DVC_Athletics track coach & comm studies instructor, arrested by @CoCoSheriff, charged by @ContraCostaDA w/human trafficking, pimping & pandering & sexual assault pic.twitter.com/pEY4d5cuFG
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) September 12, 2023
Police arrested 39-year-old Kyle Lee Whitmore on Thursday after one of his alleged victims reported him to Diablo Valley College officials, according to a Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office statement.
Investigators have since identified a second victim, per the statement.
“It is alleged that Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 were trafficked by Whitmore to commit crimes of prostitution,” per the District Attorney’s statement.
Whitmore is being charged with nine total offenses, according to the District Attorney. “Whitmore is also being charged with one count of pimping and four counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object,” the DA’s statement said.
Whitmore, a tenured communications professor and track coach at DVC, is being held without bail at the West County Detention Facility in Martinez, per the DA statement. (RELATED: Spain’s Football President Finally Resigns Following Kiss Scandal)
He was placed under administrative leave the day of his arrest, the Contra Costa Community College District said in a statement, per KTVU.
Whitmore, who won the 2021-22 California Community College Track Coach of the Year award, was featured prominently in Diablo Valley’s Athletic Department promotional videos.
“The district is devastated by the seriousness of the allegations that have been raised thus far,” Contra County said in a statement, per KTVU. “The safety of our students and staff is our main priority. We take seriously any accusations of inappropriate behavior by our employees and honor the expectation that our students, staff, and visitors have to be safe when they visit our campuses,” the statement concluded.
Whitmore’s lawyer is seeking a Sept. 19 continuation, KTVU reported.