Former Coachella Valley Youth Soccer Coach Convicted of Multiple Molestation Charges

Juan Manuel Pantoja Troncoso, a former girls soccer coach in Coachella Valley, was convicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges related to molesting and propositioning middle-school girls at Toro Canyon Middle School in Thermal in 2019. The jury found him guilty of three counts of forcible lewd acts on a child, three counts of contacting a minor to commit a sexual offense, four counts of annoying a child, and one count of battery, with sentence enhancements for targeting multiple victims. The victims, including a 13-year-old identified as "V.R.", described instances where Troncoso forcibly grabbed and touched them inappropriately, cornered one during a school carnival, and propositioned them during soccer practice. Despite his lack of prior felony convictions, Troncoso is being held without bail and faces sentencing scheduled for December 2. The convictions followed several weeks of testimony and about three days of jury deliberations at the Banning Justice Center. This case highlights serious abuses of trust by an after-school program coach exploiting vulnerable children.