Molestation Charge Against Oregon State Pitcher From Puyallup Surfaces: Report

PUYALLUP, WA - A report in the The Oregonian newspaper has uncovered allegations that star Oregon State pitcher Luke Heimlich molested a 6-year-old family member when he was a teenager in Puyallup. The allegations were uncovered after a sheriff in Benton County, Ore., where Oregon State is located, discovered that Heimlich had let his sex offender registration lapse in April.

The molestation allegedly occurred at Heimlich's family's home in Puyallup in 2012 when he was 15. He pleaded guilty to a charge of molestation, and was required to register as a sex offender, according to the report.

Heimlich, 21, is a left-handed pitcher, and considered perhaps the best college pitcher in the country. He is also considered a top prospect for the Major League Baseball draft coming up next week. On May 30, he was named the Pac-12 Conference's "pitcher of the week."

The mother of Heimlich's victim, however, told The Oregonian that she's "appalled" that the school would allow him to play. According to the report, police regularly inform university officials about registered sex offenders on camps. The school also has a procedure in place to alert administrators about students who are on the registry. That notification might not extend to coaches, however.

"I'm appalled that the college he's going to would even have him on their team," the mother told The Oregonian. The victim is now 11 years old.

Oregon State President Edward John Ray released a public statement about Heimlich on Thursday, saying he finds the information about Heimlich's conviction "disturbing."

"I find this account disturbing and want to let you know that OSU does not condone the conduct as reported. But we also understand that this case involves a criminal matter that was previously addressed by the judicial system in the state of Washington.

"We take this issue very seriously, and I want to be clear that each day the safety and security of our students, faculty and staff is Oregon State University's number one priority," he said.

Heimlich did not appear on sex offender registries in either Washington or Oregon as of Thursday, according to a search of the online databases.

Image via Ralph Lauer/Associated Press