A former youth sports coach from Alachua County was arrested last week for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old boy in Marion County several years ago.
On Monday, March 24, 47-year-old Christopher Charles Chell was extradited from Alachua County to Marion County Jail following his arrest on a warrant for lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 years of age.
Six weeks earlier, the juvenile victim spoke with Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies and advised that in mid to late October of 2022, a man – identified as Chell – had given him a ride home from a flag football game that had been held in Ocala, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
At the time, Chell was the athletic director at St. Patrick Interparish School in Gainesville, where he also taught physical education.
The victim alleged that during the ride home, Chell “reached over, placed his hands inside the victim’s shorts, and molested the victim’s genitalia,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Detectives in Alachua County initially launched an investigation into the incident and determined that the alleged molestation had occurred in Marion County due to the location of the flag football game.
MCSO detectives took over the investigation and learned that Chell had been arrested by Gainesville police in 2024 for multiple counts of lewd or lascivious molestation. Chell pleaded no contest to soliciting/engaging in a romantic relationship as an authority figure and battery (second or subsequent offense), and he was sentenced in Alachua County to five years of probation.
Last week, Chell was booked into Marion County Jail after being arrested on the lewd or molestation charge. Two days later, he was released from jail after posting a $10,000 bond, and he is scheduled to appear in a Marion County courtroom at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29, according to jail records.
“Based on the information gathered during the investigation and Chell’s established criminal history, detectives believe he may have victimized other children,” said MCSO in a social media post.
If anyone has information about other potential victims of Chell, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office asks that you call Detective Paxton at 352-368-3534.