Courtesy photo/VCBJ mug.
John Maronto, 68, head coach of the Mainland High School football team and former head coach for New Smyrna Beach High School in the mid 1990s, was charged with solicitation to commit prostitution, during a Labor Day weekend crackdown on prostitution by Daytona Beach police. According to an arrest charging affidavit released by police Monday, Maronto, also a gym teacher at Mainland, told the undercover cop while seated in his vehicle at the corner of International Speedway Boulevard and A1A just after midnight Saturday that he wanted "sex" and offered $50 to pay for it. He was among six men caught up in the police sting. He and three others were arrested on the prostitution charge and two others on related drug charges.
Please click the attachment to read the police report (Editor's Warning: subject matter not suitable for minors):
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The arrest of Mainland High School head football coach John Maronto on a charge of soliciting a prostitute over the Labor Day weekend, has not gone unnoticed by the candidates for the district 3 School Board seat .
.jpg)
.jpg)
Courtesy photos
School Board district 3 challenger Sharon Luebbers of New Smyrna Beach, and first-term incumbent Stan Schmidt of Port Orange, weigh in on the arrest of Mainland's head football coach arrested on a prostitution charge.
Sharon Luebbers, a former art teacher from New Smyrna Beach, who is challenging incumbent Stan Schmidt of Port Orange, in the Nov. 2 general election, said Monday night the coach either needs to be suspended immediately or his resignation demanded by the school superintendent first thing Tuesday morning.
Luebbers said either way, there's no way she would want him coaching on the sidelines with a sex charge hanging over his head. "I know everyone is innocent until proven guilty," Luebbers said, "but until the (case) is resolved in court, he should not be coaching the kids. It has to be expedited. Either suspension or resignation. Teachers and others in education need to be held to a higher standard."
Schmidt, first-term incumbent, said he would withhold comment on any action until at least after an expected meeting between the embattled coach and Volusia County School Superintendent Margaret Smith Tuesday.
Of Luebbers' comments, Schmidt said: "It's easy for her to make statements since she's not on the board. He's innocent until proven guilty. This has to go through a process. He's got his rights like any other employee."
Schmidt readily agreed the arrest is embarrassing not only for Mainland High School, but to the district as a whole. But Schmidt made it clear that it would be premature and inappropriate to comment about specific action until the administration has addressed the situation.
The news of Maronto's arrest has received widespread media attention on the front pages of print media, the Home pages of news web sites, including NSBNEWS.net and television and radio news reports. Reporters showing up Monday at Mainland football practice were turned away.
Maronto was not at practice, according to school district officials. According to police charging affidavits, Maronto, 68, is accused of offering an undercover police woman he thought was a prostitute $50 for sex.
Maronto, who guided the Mainland football team to the Class 5a State Championship in 2003, and is 139-38 at Mainland since coming on board in 1996, could not be reached for comment.
Maronto was head football coach at New Smyrna Beach High School from 1993 to 1995.