By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Monmouth County announced that a Grand Jury has returned a four-count indictment against the former local youth gymnastics coach accused of committing explicit offenses against three student-athletes while they were juveniles.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago stated Sasha C. Raught, 56, of Manchester Township is charged with first-degree Aggravated Explicit Contact and three counts of second-degree Explicit Contact.
Officials said that an investigation by members of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau revealed that Raught had entered into explicit relationships with three of his former athletes when they were each teenagers.
The first two alleged instances took place when he was employed at Shrewsbury Gymnastics during the early to mid-1990s, authorities say.
According to officials, the third instance took place in 2008, while he was employed at Jonas Gymnastics Academy in Marlboro.
Raught was arrested at his home without incident in May 2023 by members of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Manchester and Shrewsbury Police Departments, then lodged in the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI), officials stated.