Former coach pleads guilty to sex with student

YERINGTON -- A former Dayton High School girls basketball coach admitted Monday to having sex with a player on his team on at least one occasion.

As part of a plea agreement during a hearing in Lyon County District Court in Yerington, Desi Navarro, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of having sex with a student.

"I had sex with a 16-year-old student while I was employed by the school district," Navarro told Judge Archie Blake.

The District Attorney's Office dropped two additional counts against Navarro of having sex with a student in exchange for his guilty plea.

District Attorney Leon Aberasturi said he was pleased with the agreement.

"We're where we need to be in terms of being able to argue for prison time," he said.

Navarro faces up to five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. Sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Nov. 4.

Navarro was accused of having sex with a player on his varsity team on at least three occasions from October 2001 to February 2002 -- once in the girl's bedroom and twice in a car -- as part a complaint filed in Dayton Justice Court on June 13.

A law passed four years ago makes it a felony for any adult employed by a school district to have sex with a student, although the legal age of consent in Nevada is 16.

He was never taken into custody on the charge and remains free on $5,000 bail.

During the arraignment in Dayton Justice Court, his pregnant wife pleaded with the judge to release Navarro with no bail.

She said Navarro was ready to face the consequences of his actions and that the two were seeking marriage counseling.

Navarro waived his preliminary hearing.

He is a Carson City native and was crowned homecoming king of Carson High School in 1994.