HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) – Andrew Wayne, a Hingham High School track coach, is facing criminal charges after investigators say he inappropriately touched a student athlete last week.
A police report says the athlete told them “during [a] drill, where they were running against a wall, he slapped and squeezed her buttocks and then pushed her into a wall.”
Court paperwork lays out how Wayne later approached the girl in the cafeteria, where he’s accused of touching her shoulder and making her “extremely uncomfortable.”
Police say school security video shows Wayne did touch the athlete in question both times.
He now faces two assault and battery charges, including a charge of indecent assault and battery.
“It’s terrifying,” said Jessica Cullen, a parent. “The thought of that potentially happening, and school is supposed to be a safe space.”
“We see everyone here practicing,” said Susan Bain, a Hingham resident. “All the teams, all the time. It’s terrible, it’s just terrible. It saddens me, it really saddens me.”
When questions about what happened, police say, “Mr. Wayne stated that he has been a coach for twenty years and he has never been accused of this before, and he would never cause harm to the kids that he coaches.”
7NEWS spoke with Wayne at his house today. He was emotional and said he did nothing wrong before driving away.
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