This One Hits a Bit Close to Home

Montgomery County swim coach accused of soliciting freshman team member
By STEPHANIE FARR
Philadelphia Daily News

(DA Risa Ferman should ask for chemical castration for this P.O.S.)

A seasonal swim coach at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School is in hot water following his arrest yesterday on charges that he solicited sex acts from a freshman girl in exchange for money.

"His role was to teach young athletes to get to the finish lane first," Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Ferman said. "Instead, he tried to lure this girl into the fast lane."

Michael Dolan, 29, of Aldrin Drive, Ambler, began propositioning the 15-year-old swim team member via text messages to her cell phone at 2:30 a.m. April 24, Whitemarsh Township police said

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The messages allegedly asked the girl to meet him in a park near the high school in Plymouth Meeting and perform (reference to actual act removed by editor) on him for $200. The texts continued throughout that school day and the following days, Ferman said.

The girl didn't recognize the cell-phone number from which the text messages were sent, but police said they later traced the number back to Dolan.

He initially claimed he had lost his phone, but admitted to police that he'd never canceled his cell-phone account, according to court documents.

On Monday, during subsequent police interviews, Dolan admitted to sending the messages, Ferman said.

This school year was the first in which Dolan had served as the girls' head swim coach. Ferman said she didn't know if administrators had intended to rehire him for next year, but said "they certainly will not now."

The position was the first Dolan held at a school, having served as a coach for 10 years at various swim clubs, Ferman said.

Dolan had been preparing to take over as manager of a local swim club, Ferman said.

"His dreams are really going to be flying down the drain," she said.

Prosecutors said Dolan went through a background check before he was hired at the school. Online court records show he was arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence and was sentenced to the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders.

Dolan was arraigned yesterday afternoon. His bail was set at 10 percent of $75,000, Ferman said.

Conditions of Dolan's bail include that he not have any contact with the victim or any member of the swim team.