Ex-High School Coach Pleads Not Guilty To 10 Felonies

LONG BEACH, CA – A former Long Beach high school football coach pleaded not guilty Thursday to 10 felony counts stemming from an alleged nine-month sexual relationship with a then-15-year-old female student.

Malcolm Smith, 24, allegedly carried on the relationship from November 2014 to August 2015, while serving as a wide receivers coach at Woodrow Wilson High School, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The teen came forward to law enforcement last December, resulting in the filing of charges on Monday.

Smith – who was arrested Wednesday – is charged with nine counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and one count of oral copulation of a person under 18.

He was ordered to be held in lieu of $230,000 bail while awaiting his next appearance in a Long Beach courtroom March 23.

If convicted as charged, Smith faces up to nine years in state prison and lifetime sex offender registration.

City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock