A former Seaford High School athletic trainer is indicted on six felony charges involving sexual abuse of a minor.
Attorney General Kathy Jennings says Seaford School District placed 52-year-old Jerry Sodano on administrative leave as soon as they learned about the investigation, and he is not currently working with any students. Sodano was released on a $78,000 bond with GPS monitoring.
“Nothing matters more than protecting our children," Jennings says. "And when we learn that a child has been abused, it is imperative for all of us to act, particularly when the abuser is in a position of trust and authority, there is nothing our office takes more seriously than child victims.”
Sodano is accused of continuous sexual activity with a 17-year-old between August 2016 and January 2017. He was indicted on five counts of sexual abuse by a person in a position of authority and one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child – both Class B felonies that carry a sentence of two to 25 years.
Jennings adds Seaford School District and Seaford High School have fully cooperated with the investigation, which is ongoing.
Jennings says they are investigating the possibility there are other victims, and urges anyone with knowledge of these incidents or others to come forward.
“We encourage any who have been the victim of abuse to come forward, period, whether as a child or as an adult," she says. "We will investigate and we will prosecute as we gather the evidence. We take these allegations very seriously.”
She asks anyone with information of these incidents or others to come forward and call State Police investigators at 302-752-3864.
