Brian Thomas Hook, former Pioneer Valley High School basketball coach, pleaded no contest in Santa Maria court on March 18 to four counts of having sex with a minor, according to Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Brandon Jebens.
Hook, 54, was arrested in February 2014 after it was discovered one month earlier that he was having an alleged sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student at the school. He was later charged with two counts of oral copulation of a minor, one count of unlawful intercourse with a minor, and one count of sexual penetration of a minor.
Although Hook pleaded out, Jebens told the Sun that the plea wasn’t part of any deal and that he couldn’t reach an agreement with Hook’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Brian Carroll.
Carroll couldn’t be reached for comment.
Jebens said he’ll recommend to the judge at the next court appearance that Hook serve time in state prison.
“We will be making a recommendation based upon what we think is appropriate in this case,” Jebens told the Sun, saying he couldn’t be specific, nor would he comment on why an agreement couldn’t be reached.
Hook faces up to five years in prison, Jebens said. His next court appearance is April 2 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 6 at the Santa Maria courthouse.
Hook remains free on $100,000 bond, according to court officials.
Currently, Hook is on unpaid leave, according to Kenny Klein, a spokesman for the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.
“Typically school employees charged with these types of offenses are placed on unpaid leave status,” Klein said, though he never referred to Hook by name. “The district stays apprised on changes in status and will follow the procedures as prescribed by the state of California.”
Hook was a “well liked” teacher at PVHS, according to Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Tracy Marsh. At the time of his arrest, Hook was a social sciences teacher at the school and the head coach of the school’s varsity girls’ basketball team.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 2, 2015.
