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Report: Former Olympian, track coach arrested on allegations of sexual abuse as camp counselor

May 11, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General overall view of Drake Stadium on the campus of UCLA. the facility is a proposed track and field practice site for the 2024 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Conrad Mainwaring allegedly recruited athletes off the UCLA campus. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Two years after an ESPN investigation revealed sexual abuse allegations from more than 30 men over the course of 44 years, former Olympic hurdler Conrad Mainwaring was arrested Wednesday on felony indecent assault and battery charges.

The charges reportedly stem from Mainwaring's time in the 1970s as a camp counselor at Camp Greylock for Boys in Massachusetts.

Mainwaring, who has since worked as a track coach, was reportedly arrested as he walked out of a Los Angeles County courthouse after pleading no contest to felony false imprisonment for an alleged assault of a 20-year-old UCLA student. He had been indicted by a grand jury in Berkshire, Massachusetts, three weeks ago on 12 counts of indecent assault and battery, with three of the counts involving alleged acts with boys under 14.

Mainwaring, a Los Angeles resident since the late 1980s, reportedly awaits extradition to Massachusetts. Berkshire's district attorney says he could face 12-36 months in prison if found guilty on all charges.

From ESPN:

"Our interest is in bringing justice and accountability, particularly in crimes where the people being victimized are people that are vulnerable," said Berkshire County district attorney Andrea Harrington. "And in this particular instance, you have young people away from their families who were preyed upon by an adult who used their position of trust to abuse the relationship."

Mainwaring competed as a hurdler representing Antigua and Barbuda at the 1976 Olympics, finishing eighth out of eight in the first heat of the 110m hurdle event.

Allegations against Mainwaring span decades

Although Mainwaring's alleged crimes at Camp Greylock are well past the statute of limitations, prosecutors reportedly argue that the statute froze when he left the state of Massachusetts in the late 1970s. The system is reportedly designed to prevent someone from committing the crime, moving away until the statute of limitations expires, then return scot-free.

The alleged crimes reportedly didn't stop after Camp Greylock either, as 22 men told ESPN that Mainwaring molested them during his time working and studying at Syracuse University when they were in high school and college. After that, ESPN reports that Mainwaring spent nearly two years at Colgate University, where three young men alleged he molested them.

Since Mainwaring moved to California, 15 more men have accused him of sexual abuse, with several coming from their time training at UCLA.

To date, ESPN reports a total of 52 men have come forward against Mainwaring.

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