Ruling due on coach’s sex case confession

A Maricopa County Superior Court judge will determine next month whether the confessions of a Scottsdale Saguaro High School substitute teacher and assistant football coach accused of inappropriately touching a student during a massage in his home will be permitted to be used as evidence in further court proceedings.

Special Report: Reading, Writing and Wrongdoing

Judge Helene Abrams heard more than four hours of testimony Thursday from three members of the Scottsdale Police Department, including two detectives who questioned Tom Porras. Abrams said written closing arguments from the hearing are due Jan. 4, and the next hearing on the matter will be held Jan. 22.

Porras, 49, is facing a felony sex abuse charge and a misdemeanor public sexual indecency charge stemming from an alleged incident in April when a 17-year-old girl told police Porras inappropriately touched her and performed a sexual act over her as she was receiving a massage at his home while wearing a bikini.

Porras had twice admitted to police committing the act on the girl, according to Scottsdale police Detective John Heinzelman’s testimony and county court documents.

However, Porras’ attorney, Amy Nguyen, contends that Porras’ right to remain silent was violated when the detectives continued to question him after he invoked his right to seek legal advice three times while being questioned at Saguaro High School and the police department’s District II station on April 26, the day he was arrested.

Nguyen told the Tribune after Thursday’s hearing she felt pretty positive about how the proceeding went.

But it remains to be seen whether a trial will be scheduled until the court determines whether the admission will be thrown out, Nguyen said.