News Digest News Digest (September 14, 2005)

Soccer coach convicted of serving alcohol to 18 year olds

A former Palo Alto High School soccer coach pled no contest today to charges of giving alcohol to four 18-year-old women at a June 7 party that included "streaking," strip poker and group sex.

Jeff van Gastel, 34, who lives in San Jose with his wife and child, appeared in the Santa Clara County Superior Court this morning with his attorney, Phil Schnayerson. Van Gastel was convicted of four counts of giving alcohol to persons under 21 years old, receiving two years probation and a fine of $3,180.

"It's over. People have gone on with their lives," said Schnayerson, who added his client did not have a comment. "Whatever was done, whether it was approved of or disapproved of, it's over."

Schnayerson said he had not talked to van Gastel about whether he would continue to coach soccer, but Schnayerson said, "there's some issues whether he'll be able to."

On June 7, van Gastel hosted an end-of-season barbecue for players of the De Anza Force Soccer Club in Cupertino -- of which he is the president -- at his parents' house in San Jose. According to San Jose police reports and court documents, van Gastel gave four 18-year-old women players alcohol at the party and then had sex with three of them. It is unknown exactly how many people attended the party, but both current and past team members reportedly attended.

The misdemeanor alcohol convictions stem from initial allegations of "sexual assault" made one week after the party by two of the women who had sex with van Gastel. The women's parents joined in the complaint. But a San Jose Police Department report filed with the court concluded that the women were not minors and did not appear to be forced into any sexual activity.

Van Gastel has strong ties to youth and college soccer programs throughout the Bay Area, especially in the South Bay. He served as Paly's varsity girls' soccer coach for six years. He resigned from that post in August to take a job at Menlo College as an assistant women's soccer coach, a position he was suspended from after being arrested Aug. 10.

Van Gastel is also the former president of the Abronzino Youth Soccer League, a club league with almost 300 of the most competitive youth teams in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. It is an affiliate of the California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA), the governing body for most competitive club soccer in Northern California.

Van Gastel served on the association's District 2 board of directors, and has coached in its Olympic Development Program.

Since the arrest, CYSA chairman John Murphy said van Gastel has been suspended from all activities connected or related to the CYSA and any affiliated leagues or operations.

-- Alexandria Rocha

Council candidate drops out, campaign hits "Snagg"

Sanford Forte, one of 12 candidates for five openings on the Palo Alto City Council, abruptly withdrew from the council race Friday-- although his name will remain on the ballot.

Forte, a member of the Library Advisory Commission, said "unexpected, unavoidable conflicts have quite suddenly arisen in one of my business interests," he said in an e-mail to supporters.

Forte told the Weekly his company, Snagg, Inc., based on California Avenue, has suddenly received several new contracts that will occupy his time to a degree that he could neither campaign properly nor, if elected, serve effectively on the council. On Friday, he put out an urgent e-mail to friends canceling a formal campaign kick-off party scheduled for Sunday.

"I will remain active in community affairs and continue to serve in other ways that help lead Palo Alto forward into the future," he said. He urged supporters to "please stay involved in this campaign and vote, as I will. Voting one's conscience is the most important thing a citizen can do."

-- Jay Thorwaldson

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