Criminal charges will not be filed against first-year High School South wrestling coach Chris Manente, who was suspended from his position as a result of assault allegations by two members of the wrestling team last month.##M:[more]##
The school district suspended Manente last month after learning of an investigation by West Windsor police and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office. West Windsor Lieutenant Carl Walsh said two members of the South wrestling team “alleged that the coach physically assaulted several team members” earlier in February.
As a result, West Windsor police and investigators from the prosecutor’s office interviewed team members, parents, and the coach.
“The investigation is complete,” Walsh said March 3, and Manente has been cleared. “No charges were filed. The school has handled the matter internally, and they were making a determination as to the further employment of the coach.”
“At the time of the incident, the coach was suspended from the position,” district spokeswoman Gerri Hutner said. “During the time period of the investigation, the wrestling season ended, so his responsibilities for our district ended as well.”
She said the district then received word that no charges would be filed against Manente. “Next year, as for any of our positions, we post our advertisements. He is welcome to apply along with anyone else who is interested.”
That involves going through the interview process again. He and other candidates for the job will be interviewed by district officials, who will then ultimately decide who is best for the position, Hutner said.
Manente currently holds no other position with the district. A state law requires school districts to put coaches who are not already teachers through the same certification process a substitute teacher would endure. “When you take an outside coach, you have to have them fingerprinted and checked in order to come into the school district,” said Hutner.
She added that the complaint was filed directly with the police by the students’ families. “We were notified of the complaint; the complaint did not come to the school district.”
The wrestling team, which had only one senior and two juniors, was winless this season.
Manente is from Dumont and was a wrestler himself for many years. He is currently a graduate student at Rutgers.
Prior to that, he served 13 months in Iraq as a sergeant in the army with the 101st Airborne Infantry based out of Fort Campbell in Kentucky, and has served in multiple overseas combat tours since 2002. — Cara Latham
