Private Basketball Coach Charged With Sexually Assaulting Teen

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — A 24-year-old Mundelein man and former skills coach with Pure Sweat Basketball in Crystal Lake is accused of sexually assaulting a teen he'd been training, authorities told the Daily Herald. Diamond Hood was taken into custody last week and is being held at the Lake County jail on a $500,000 bail.

Pure Sweat Chief Operating Officer Rich Czeslawski told the newspaper Hood no longer works for the Crystal Lake business and that he believes the sexual assault of the 16-year-old boy, who Hood had been training for five months, was an isolated incident. He also said the company did their "due diligence" prior to hiring Hood by conducting standard background checks and reference checks. He noted that "there were never any warning signs. No one ever said, 'Hey, that was strange to me,' or anything like that."

Hood is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse, traveling to meet a minor and exploitation/exposing organs to a child.

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