LANSING (WTVB) – Former Tigers and Yankees outfielder Chad Curtis who is serving prison time for molesting high school girls in the weight room at Lakewood High in Barry County is back in the news, and so are his victims. The Michigan Court of Appeals voted 3-0 to reject his motion for a new trial. He claimed his lawyer failed to call important witnesses, resulting in his conviction. They also upheld his sentence, which will keep him behind bars until 2020 at the earliest.
At the same time it was announced that his victims, the girls he fondled during massages, have filed a federal complaint to the U.S. Department of Education of a Title Nine violation. They claim that Lakewood School officials showed favoritism toward Curtis, who was revered for his celebrity and his religious fervor during the investigation. They said it led to harassment against the girls. Two of them are still attending classes at the school. Lawyers for the Lakewood District deny the charge.
Curtis was a volunteer in the weight room, and had been hired to become the football coach before the charges were filed.
