According to the local Patch.com affiliate, the judge in the case of accused child abuser Noah Rucker has decided that there is enough evidence to advance the case to a grand jury, which will begin the week of September 17th.
The official charge is three felony counts of indecent liberties with a child while in a custodial or supervisory relationship for an alleged relationship with a 17-year old swimmer while he was the coach of Madison High School while Rucker was 29. The alleged events took place a decade ago; Rucker is now 39.
Rucker is currently free on $5,000 bond, with directions not to contact the alleged victim. He has also been remanded to stay in the Washington D.C. Area.
The victim testified in the hearing, indicating that she was not forced into either act, saying that she believed that she was “in love” with Rucker and that they would eventually get married.
If found guilty, Rucker faces between 1 and 5 years in prison for each offense, presuming they are deemed class 6 felonies. Virginia law allows for an upgrade to a class 5 felony for repeat offenders, with some allowances for multiple offenses in a single “act, transaction, or scheme”. Alternatively, he could be sentenced up to 12 months in jail with a fine of up to $2,500 for each case.
If the latter two charges are upgraded to class 5 felonies, it would extend the maximum penalty to 10 years in prison.
Rucker most recently was a coach at the Curl Burke Swim Club, that has been under fire for similar transgressions of their founder Rick Curl. The alleged transgressions did not occur while Rucker coached at Curl Burke.