ARLINGTON, Va. — The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a former high school basketball coach charged with sexual-based offenses.
Investigators say 53-year-old George Porcha is being charged with carnal knowledge of a minor and taking indecent liberties with children. According to Virginia law, carnal knowledge applies to any act of sex, including oral or physical penetration.
The investigation into Porcha began in October of 2022 stemming from incidents that occurred between 2000-2003, involving two students.
During those years, Porcha was the Washington-Liberty High School Girls basketball coach. In accordance with Virginia Code, additional information regarding the incident and the investigation is restricted.
In January warrants were issued for offenses involving two victims who were juveniles at the time.
Porcha previously coached at Boston College and Virginia Tech, among other institutions. This is the only time he has been accused of sex crimes against students. He is currently living in North Carolina.
Police are asking anyone who feels they had inappropriate encounters with Porcha, or has information related to this case, to contact Detective P. Pena at 703-228-4183.
"We come from a stance of trauma-informed care and we are going to ensure we work with any victims to provide services but also following through with what they want to see in the investigation," said Ashley Savage with APD.
Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) of Northern Virginia says one in 10 adults report having experienced sexual harassment by an employee at a school at some point in their lives. Laurie Tasharski, the organization's director and a survivor herself, says it starts with recognizing the early signs.
"If you suspect something -- boundaries being crossed, someone wants to pick up your child or communicate with them late at night, drive them in their car as a favor -- you should ask questions of the program about the code of conduct," Tasharski said. "Ask your child some questions and let them know, anything they want to tell you, you are here and able to help with."
The President of Arlington County Council of PTAs, Claire Noakes, is also encouraging possible victims to come forward. She issued the following statement:
We want to encourage anyone with further information about this case – or any incident of abuse – to come forward. However, we recognize that many people are reluctant to report information, either because they do not feel safe, or they do not think it will matter. We need to start having this discussion as a community, so that all of the organizations who work with youth (schools, churches, camps, recreation leagues, athletics programs) have implemented a set of basic, research-backed operating procedures that can prevent sexual misconduct – and effectively address it right away, not decades later. There are so many great people doing great work, giving our youth the positive experiences that they need, and we want increased public funding for these activities because they are so beneficial. Yet the overall data still shows that more work is needed by organizations to better prevent sexual misconduct, encourage reporting, and improve an organization’s response when information is received.
Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS.
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.