Ex-cheer coach at Las Vegas high school arrested on lewdness charges

Spring Valley High School’s former cheer coach was arrested Monday on felony charges that involve sexual misconduct.

Joshua Balelo, 29, has been charged with two counts of lewdness with a minor older than 14 and two counts of child abuse. Clark County School District officials announced the charges Tuesday.

Officials said Balelo was fired from his coaching duties in September, when police were tipped off to allegations of inappropriate contact with two female students.

He had coached at the school, located at 3750 S. Buffalo Drive, since August 2013.

“It should be noted he was not a classroom teacher nor a full-time employee,” school district police Capt. Ken Young said.

Balelo was being held Tuesday evening at the Clark County Detention Center. His lawyer, Gary Modafferi, said arrangements for house arrest were being made. Balelo has pleaded not guilty, the lawyer said.

“There’s been a defense investigation to support his plea of not guilty,” Modafferi said. “The defense investigation has indicated nothing happened.”

A preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court is scheduled for April 2.

Balelo is the sixth district employee arrested in Clark County this academic year on sexual misconduct charges, and the 11th employee arrested this school year overall.

In the 2016-17 school year, 13 employees were arrested on sexual misconduct charges, prompting new laws and changes in the district.

A Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative series found that sexual misconduct between employees and students was a system-wide crisis that resulted in at least five lawsuits over a five-year period. The district has since crafted a policy and regulation to address relations between students and staff, and has released new training videos for employees, parents and students.

Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter.