Coaches arraigned in rape of girl, 13

Boston Herald
Coaches arraigned in rape of girl, 13
By Marie Szaniszlo and Renee Nadeau
Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Two former Medford soccer coaches pleaded not guilty yesterday to raping a 13-year-old girl on their team.
The assaults allegedly took place from the spring of 2003 to the summer of 2004, when Roger Lau and Thomas Heinz, both 26, coached a Medford soccer team for girls 14 and under. Heinz was a head coach at the time, and Lau was an assistant coach.
The alleged victim told police that she had a sexual relationship with Lau for more than a year, beginning when she was 13, and that Heinz assaulted her on two occasions.
“These are extremely troubling allegations against people who had positions of power and control and who violated the trust that was placed in them,” said Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard Leone.
Judge Maurice Flynn ordered the case file impounded, but prosecutors said Lau first had sex with the girl after bringing her to his home under the pretense of watching a movie.
In another instance, Lau was having sex with a woman at his house when Heinz molested the alleged victim as they sat on the edge of the bed, prosecutors said.
The alleged victim, now 20, first reported the assaults to police last month, Leone said.
“It’s very difficult to come forward when you’re 13 or 14,” Leone said. “It’s not unusual to see delayed disclosure in cases like this.”
Lau was arrested late Monday on four counts of forcible rape of a child. Heinz was arrested yesterday morning on one count of forcible rape of a child. Both men were arraigned yesterday in Somerville District Court.
Lau was ordered held on $8,000 cash bail, which his family was expected to post. Heinz was released on his own recognizance, leaving in a minivan driven by his father, Thomas Heinz Sr., who is listed as town coordinator on the Medford soccer league’s Web site.
As a condition of their release, the defendants are not allowed to have unsupervised contact with a child under 16.
Heinz’s attorney, Brad Bailey, said he and his client were planning a “vigorous defense” against the allegation. Lau’s attorney, Jason Thomas, could not be reached for comment.

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