Prominent Southern California youth sports coach arrested on multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor

A prominent youth sports coach and trainer in Orange County was arrested in Bakersfield on Thursday on multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor, a spokesperson for the Santa Ana Police Department said.

Chris Flores, 37, of Bellflower was arrested around 11:30 a.m. with the assistance of Bakersfield police, said Sgt. Maria Lopez of Santa Ana Police, and later booked at Orange County Jail. His bail was set at $500,000, Santa Ana Police announced late Thursday night.

Lopez said that Santa Ana Police received a tip that Flores might have been in the Bakersfield area.

Flores, known to many in the high school football scene as “Coach Frogg,” was arrested one day after STARS SOCAL and STARS Preparatory Academy issued a statement on their Instagram pages that it had “severed all ties” with Flores and was cooperating with an investigation by the Santa Ana Police Department.

STARS, a training center for athletes in Orange, stated that several allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors had been brought against Flores, once dubbed the COO of the organization.

Santa Ana Police stated late Thursday that it has investigated allegations from two individuals who “indicated that Flores sexually assaulted them.”

Lopez said Thursday that the investigation has found that a 14-year-old female from Riverside was allegedly sexually assaulted by Flores over the course of last year. “Several” of the alleged assaults might have occurred at Calvary Chapel High School in Santa Ana and other locations in Santa Ana and Anaheim, stated police, who added that the school hosted a STARS Preparatory Academy training program.

The 14-year-old, the police indicated, said she was enrolled at STARS’ prep academy and Flores was her coach.

“The victim made a video recording of a conversation she had with Flores last year,” Santa Ana Police stated in a press release. “Flores can be heard asking the victim if she ‘deleted everything’ and asking her to go on a date with him.

“Detectives believe Flores was asking the victim to delete text messages between them. The victim gave a copy of this recording to police, who immediately initiated an investigation.”

The investigation also identified another possible victim, a 15-year-old girl from Irvine who has made similar allegations with Riverside County Sheriff, Lopez said.

Edward Welbourn, Flores’ Newport Beach-based attorney, said Flores has not been charged in the case and called the allegations “shocking” and “disappointing.”

“Chris has been a coach and mentor to kids in this community for many years,” Welbourn, a former Orange County Deputy District Attorney, said in a statement. “He absolutely denies any inappropriate relationship or contact with any current or former athlete or student. All he has tried to do is help kids move forward and achieve their dreams.”

STARS SOCAL has listed the address of Santiago Charter Middle School in Orange on its website for booking a training session.

The company’s Instagram page states it prepares athletes “for success on and off the playing field.” STARS Academy states it serves student-athletes with on-site education.

In recent years, STARS has been linked to several high-profile Southern California high school football players, including some that reached the NFL. Flores has stated that STARS’ clients range from junior high athletes to professional players.