A walk-on football coach and instructional assistant at two Irvine high schools was behind bars Thursday on suspicion of communicating with a minor online for sex.
But the minor he thought he was communicating with was apparently an undercover cop.
Jeremy Osso, 39, of Costa Mesa, was arrested Wednesday morning in Irvine by Carlsbad police, who pulled him over in Irvine and served a search warrant, according to Jodee Sasway of the Carlsbad Police Department.
Carlsbad police were working an “online task force operation” when they became aware of the alleged criminal behavior in May, Sasway said. She declined to say whether Osso was caught up in a sting communicating with an investigator he may have thought was a minor.
The Irvine Unified School District released a statement assuring parents that Osso was never in online contact with IUSD students, and that his alleged communications “were with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force members.”
Osso was a “walk-on coach and instructional assistant,” according to the school district, which said he served as defensive coordinator for University High School’s varsity football team and was an instructional assistant at Irvine High School.
Osso was booked on suspicion of communicating with a minor for sex, sending harmful matter to a minor, attempted solicitation of child pornography and burglary, Sasway said. He was being held in the Vista jail in San Diego County, with bail set at $100,000.
Osso has been put on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case, during which he is prohibited from coaching or having any contact with students in the district, IUSD officials said.
“The Irvine Unified School District’s number one priority is the safety and well-being of our students,” the district’s statement says. `We have zero tolerance for any behavior that does not support our values, our commitment to integrity and our service to students.
–City News Service