On Friday, July 17, former Marist men’s volleyball coach, Richard Kelly, was taken into custody by the New York State Police. Kelly, the Hyde Park native, has been charged with second-degree possession of an obscene sexual performance by a child and second-degree unlawful surveillance. The investigation is still ongoing, but both the chargers brought to Kelly are felonies.
Both charges are listed as class E non-violent felonies in the state of New York and a sentence can be up to 4 years in prison with a maximum fine of $5,000.
According to The New York State Police Newsroom, police reported that the 49-year-old coach is accused of, “possessing images consistent with child sexual exploitation and recording candid images of unsuspecting victims.” Kelly was issued appearance tickets for the town of Hyde Park Court and has two dates to address the charges in court on August 4th and August 18th.
Marist College has been made aware of the allegations made against the coach and has released a statement saying that, “The college unequivocally condemns these acts and is fully cooperating with the State Police in their investigation of this matter,” the statement read.
Kelly became the head coach of the volleyball team in 2014. Last season, Kelly led the team to first place in their division in the New England Collegiate Volleyball League.
Marist Director of Media Relations Julia Fishman has stated that Kelly was not under contract at the time of his arrest and that the school has no plans to renew the contract. There have been no other comments made by the school or the athletic department at this time.
Edited by David Connelly