Schools
St. Margaret's Coach Faces More Felonies
In addition to a guilty plea following the discovery of an in-home pot farm last year, assistant football coach Charles Spann was arrested in August on additional drug and forgery charges.
The St. Margaret’s assistant football coach last year with from Santa Margarita Catholic High School is facing additional drug charges stemming from an August arrest.
Officials from said they would have a statement shortly. However, at some point Thursday, Charles Spann’s name was removed from the school’s team website page listing the coaches.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies discovered Spann parked in a car in San Juan Capistrano on Aug. 22 with two grams of marijuana and five Vicodin pills, said Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
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In addition to the drugs, Spann had a fake driver’s license with his photo but someone else’s name, Emami said. The official charge is forgery of public or corporate seals. Both it and the drug charge from the same day’s arrest are felonies.
These charges are on top of the guilty plea Spann gave in September as part of a plea bargain to avoid going to trial for two felony counts, one for cultivation of marijuana and one for possession for sale of marijuana.
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Last December, Spann lived with Sean Patrick Coen and Robert Raymond Hendricks, both coaches at Santa Margarita, in a San Juan Capistrano residence where sheriff's deputies discovered an extensive marijuana growing system in the garage.
The raid netted three mature plants, 229 immature plants, 32 pot clones, five bags of dried marijuana totaling more than a pound, a "pay-owe" ledger listing medical marijuana dispensaries, and a lighting and watering system.
Spann, also known as Chachi, played at Canyon Country's Canyon High School for current Santa Margarita head coach Harry Welch when he coached there. He was hired in 2010 as an offensive and defensive line coach at St. Margaret's.
In an interview Thursday with the OC Register, Spann said St. Margaret’s had not released him from his duties. He also said he had a prescription for medicinal marijuana but declined to say what medical condition he has that requires it.
On Oct. 26, Spann entered a not-guilty plea for the charges stemming from the August arrest. He has a pretrial hearing set for Thursday in the in Newport Beach.
