HIV Positive Track Coach Carlos Deangelo Bell Accused Of Sexually Assaulting 7 Boys

A former aid and track coach at a Maryland school was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexually assaulting several male students and recording some of the abuse on video, according to multiple local reports.

The 30-year-old man, Carlos Deangelo Bell, was arrested from his home in Charles County, following six months of investigations into accusations of him assaulting at least seven boys. He even reportedly made videos, including on school property, of some of the attacks.

The county sheriff’s office also said the number of victims could be more than seven. Bell told investigators he was HIV positive, and investigators found evidence corroborating the diagnosis, CNN reported.

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Some of the boys have already been tested for HIV, and others are expected to be tested soon, according to USA Today. Police also stated they were not aware of any tests coming back positive yet.

On Friday, a grand jury indicted Bell on felony charges of child pornography production and misdemeanor counts of second-degree assault. The sheriff’s office also said more charges could be filed as the investigation progressed, according to the CNN report.

The investigation started in December, 2016, when detectives received a tip about possible inappropriate behavior with a student while he was coaching track, the sheriff’s office stated. The complaint was from a high-school student’s parent who raised concerns over messages from Bell to her child that were sexual in nature.

Reports quoted the county sheriff’s office spokeswoman Diane Richardson saying, “Investigators sent Bell's electronic devices from work and from home to the Maryland State Police crime lab, which recovered sexually explicit images involving the boys.”

Following the complaint, Bell was relieved of his duties as an instructional assistant at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Waldorf and indoor track coach at the nearby La Plata High School. He was also directed to have no contact with students or student athletes.

Bell began working for the school system in 2014 when he became an instructional assistant at Waldorf’s JP Ryon Elementary. In March, 2015, he took the same position at Stoddert Middle, reported CNN. He was indoor track coach at Maurice J. McDonough High School in Pomfret, Maryland during the 2015-16 school year before taking up the same post at La Plata High in November.

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The Superintendent of public schools in Charles County released a statement, reported on by USA Today, in which he said, “I am alarmed and saddened by these alleged incidents, some of which occurred at school. Student safety is job one, and clearly we have work to do to determine where we fell short in this instance, and how we can ensure that this will never happen again.”

He also sent a message via email to the school district’s staff members and parents, pledging full cooperation with investigators as well as support and counseling for the children who were allegedly assaulted.

The district, which is about 25 miles from Washington, is also planning to review its school safety protocols.