Jiu-Jitsu Coach Accused Of Sexual Battery Of Child Dies By Suicide: Sarasota Sheriff

LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL — A jiu-jitsu coach accused of sexual battery of a minor died by suicide before he could be arrested, according to a Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office news release.

A father told deputies that he found videos and photographs of inappropriate sexual activity involving his 14-year-old son and the coach, Lance Darren Goodall, on the child’s phone, the agency said.

Goodall, 32, of Lakewood Ranch owned Venom Fitness in Osprey, where the boy was a student, according to the sheriff’s office.

After reviewing text messages between Goodall and the boy, detectives determined there was probable cause to charge the coach with three counts of sexual battery by a person in a position of custodial authority.

When Manatee County Sheriff’s Office investigators tried to contact Goodall at his home Friday night, they found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound

The investigation remains open. Anyone with information or who may have been a victim is asked to contact SCSO Detective Taylor Garrison. The agency’s non-emergency line is 941-316-1201.