After pleading guilty to one count of sexual abuse, David Edward Castillo, former head boys’ and girls’ cross-country coach at Camp Verde High School, has been sentenced to six months in jail, 20 years of probation and registration as a sex offender upon release. Fines and restitution will be determined at a later date.
Castillo pled guilty to sexual abuse on May 14, according to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office, and was facing between four months and two years in prison on two counts of sexual abuse.
One of the counts was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
On Nov. 13, 2023, the Camp Verde Marshal’s Office reportedly received an allegation of possible sexual abuse of a juvenile and later took Castillo into custody, according to a CVMO social media post on Nov. 30. Castillo was charged with sexual abuse and sexual assault and held at the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde on a $75,000 bond before being arraigned on Dec. 4, in the Verde Valley Justice Court.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges in Yavapai County Superior Court on Jan. 4, but later accepted the plea agreement.
After the arrest, Camp Verde Unified School District Superintendent Steve Hicks issued a notice to parents that a complaint had been made to CVUSD officials, who immediately contacted CVMO; that the alleged crime did not occur on school grounds; and that Castillo was prohibited from entering the grounds or contacting students.
Castillo was a licensed physical therapist and former coach of the CVHS cross-country teams and youth club soccer teams.
Castillo had previously been investigated by Prescott Valley police in 2018 for an incident allegedly involving a 12-year-old female relative, but the YCAO declined to prosecute, citing no physical evidence, no witnesses and Castillo’s denial.
