‘Admired’ coach now charged with sexual assault

A Catholic high school baseball coach arrested on charges of plying a 14-year-old boy with alcohol was rearrested overnight and charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy, police said.

Louis Spadaccini, a coach at SS. Neumann-Goretti High School in South Philadelphia since 2006, now faces counts of sexual contact and rape for three incidents involving the younger teen in July and August, police said.

Police say Spadaccini, 37, also plied the 13-year-old with alcohol at the Holiday Inn in South Philadelphia as well as his home and sexually assaulted him.

The latest charges come less than 24 hours after Spadaccini was charged with corrupting the morals of a minor, endangering the welfare of a minor, luring a child into a motor vehicle, and other offenses in the case of the 14-year-old boy.

On Tuesday, Capt. John Darby, commander of the Special Victims Unit, said the teen spent several hours in a room at the hotel before his parents grew suspicious and demanded that he return. When Spadaccini brought the boy home, Darby said, he was so intoxicated that his parents took him to the hospital.

There is no evidence that boy was sexually assaulted, Darby said, adding police appealed for other possible victims to come forward.

"We obviously have concern about this activity and the exposure of this individual to a number of youths in that neighborhood and beyond," Darby said.

The 14-year-old, who was not identified, is a new student at the school who attended a baseball practice Sunday, Darby said. The boy's parents were aware that their son made plans to meet with Spadaccini later that day, but they were under the impression that the meeting would involve more practicing.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, Spadaccini picked up the student and took him to the Holiday Inn on Packer Avenue in South Philadelphia, ostensibly to watch football. There, Spadaccini gave him beer and a mixed drink that he made in a blender.

Spadaccini also slipped a Xanax pill into the drink, which he knew might render the boy unconscious, according to police records. Spadaccini told police that he did not assault the boy after serving him the drink.

Spadaccini taught varsity and junior varsity students at Neumann-Goretti, a part-time job. He was also employed by the Court of Common Pleas. He has no known criminal past, police said.

John Murawski, president of Neumann-Goretti, said students and faculty were in a state of "deep shock" over the news. Spadaccini was admired by many for his knowledge of sports and his abilities, Murawski said.

Spadaccini has been put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The school is making counseling available to any students who need it.