Ex-Santana High Coach Pleads Guilty to Having Sex With a Student

SANTEE, CA - A former Santana High School track coach who engaged in sexual activity with an underage student pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of attending an arranged illicit meeting with a minor.

Keith Alan Silvia, 49, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 4 in El Cajon.

In June, the parents of the victim -- a junior at the Magnolia Avenue campus -- found letters from Silvia in the girl's backpack, Lt. Dan Brislin said. The couple reported the discovery to school administrators, who in turn notified the sheriff's department.

Silvia turned himself in July 14.

"Detectives conducted an investigation and discovered that Silvia fostered an intimate relationship with the victim and arranged more than one off-campus meeting, (during which) they engaged in inappropriate physical contact," the lieutenant said.

Silvia, who also worked as a campus supervisor at the high school, subsequently resigned from his job there, according to Catherine Martin, spokeswoman for Grossmont Union High School District.

- City News Service