I-Team

Man With Violent Past Allowed To Coach Kids

BOSTON (WBZ) ― He's a man that has a history of violence and drug and alcohol problems, and he's coaching kids, which raises some serious questions about the decisions made by a local baseball league.

I-Team reporter Kathy Curran discovered the league knew about the coach's troubled past but still let him take the field.

Paul Letsky coaches the Sutton Youth Baseball Team even though there were signs off the field that he shouldn't be coaching kids.

"His behavior does not belong on the field with kids," said Sutton baseball parent Laurie Brown.

Letsky reeked of alcohol when WBZ caught up with him one morning at Clinton District Court where he faced a judge on domestic assault and battery charges for allegedly choking, shoving, and biting his wife under the eye inside their Clinton home. It was just the latest problem for a man with a history of violence and problems with alcohol and drugs.

Parents became concerned when those issues began to slide onto the field.

Brown recalls what happened at a baseball event last summer.

"He went up to my son and he was slurring his speech, and I quickly got my son out of there," Brown said. "I did address the board on that again to the president, and no action was taken on that."

The I-Team looked into Letsky's criminal record, or CORI, and found 13 convictions, including assault and battery, operating under the influence and assault with a dangerous weapon.

The Sutton Youth Baseball League was well aware of Letsky's criminal past. They did a background check and still allowed him to take the field.
 
President Rich Trujillo says everyone deserves a second chance but it seems Letsky has had chance after chance and keeps slipping up.

"How can they say this person is fit to coach?" Brown said. "I have to disagree."

During a game last year Letsky got into an argument with another coach. That coach apparently touched Letsky and league officials told WBZ that Letsky picked up a bat and threatened to hit the coach in the head. This happened right in front of the players.

"Do you think you're a good role model for kids?" Curran asked Letsky.
 
"I've been doing it for almost 20 years," Letsky replied.
 
"You surrendered your nursing license?" Curran asked.

"I surrendered my nursing license," he said.

"For allegations of stealing prescription drugs?" Curran asked.

"No, no, no," Letsky said.

According to Department of Public Health records, Letsky stole Vicodin, Percocet, and morphine from Nashoba Valley Medical center for his own use. He admitted this when he surrendered his nursing license.

The Sutton Board of Directors said, "Policy prohibits public discussion of any individual situations involving the league."

They stood by that policy and refused the I-Team's request for an interview, but if they stuck to their policy, it seems this coach should have been benched.

The Western Massachusetts Commissioner for Cal Ripken, Jim Edelman, says "Those are red flags that are on that CORI report."

But nothing was done at the local level so the I-Team went to the head of the Cal Ripken League for Western Mass. Edelman says Cal Ripken officials weren't aware a man with a criminal past was coaching because coaching decisions and CORI checks are done by the local league.

"My opinion, based on what you've shown me as commissioner of these 26 leagues, my opinion is he shouldn't be coaching," Edelman said.

When the I-Team told officials at Cal Ripken headquarters about the situation in Sutton they took action immediately and Letsky was dismissed. They said they'll review how their CORI policies are handled and will change the policy for next season.

The Sutton League's board of directors said they take the safety, health and well-being of the kids and everyone involved in the league very seriously.

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