Youth baseball coach accused of assaulting boys arrested in Dominican Republic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A man wanted in Tennessee on charges that he sexually assaulted minors while helping run a youth baseball program has been arrested in the Dominican Republic and returned to the United States, authorities said.

Dig deeper:

Fernando Gonzalez Ramirez, 32, a Panamanian citizen, faces state charges in Williamson County related to alleged assaults involving multiple boys in Franklin between 2023 and 2024.

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The backstory:

Authorities said Gonzalez fled Tennessee after learning that law enforcement was investigating him. The investigation began after two boys reported that Gonzalez had assaulted them, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

U.S. Marshals investigators determined that Gonzalez had traveled to Mexico, Japan and Panama before learning Monday that he was in the Dominican Republic. A lead was sent to the agency’s foreign field office there, and Gonzalez was taken into custody within hours.

Gonzalez was flown to New Jersey on Tuesday evening and is awaiting extradition to Tennessee, where he will face the state charges.

What's next:

The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities believe Gonzalez may have additional, unidentified victims.

What you can do:

Anyone with information about Gonzalez is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-877-WANTED2 or email [email protected].

The Source: The information came from a news release issued by the U.S. Marshals Service. The release cited the Franklin Police Department as the investigating agency and the Williamson County charges being prosecuted by the Office of Stacey B. Edmonson, district attorney general for Tennessee’s 21st Judicial District. This story was reported from Los Angeles.