A former assistant coach at Oxford High School who allegedly sexually propositioned two underage female students via text messages is sitting in the Oakland County Jail awaiting trial.
Arrested on Aug. 31, Brandon Joseph Figurski, 20, of Lake Orion, was charged with child sexual abusive activity (a 20-year felony), using a computer to commit a crime (a 20-year felony) and communicating with another to commit a crime (a 15-year felony).
Figurski briefly served as the assistant dive coach for the OHS varsity girls swim/dive team.
He was not an employee of the district. His coaching position was a voluntary one that began Aug. 13 and ended Aug. 31 with his arrest, according to Deputy Superintendent Nancy Kammer.
Following his arrest, Kammer spoke with the varsity swim coach and was assured Figurski ‘had never been alone with any of our students in the program.?
‘They were always in the company of one of the coaches,? she said.
A 2007 Lake Orion High School graduate, Figurski has an Oct. 22 pretrial date in Oakland County Circuit Court before Judge Mark Goldsmith. A Nov. 5 trial date was set.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, Figurski allegedly sent text messages containing sexual comments to two of his 15-year-old female divers.
The sheriff’s department was contacted and a detective from the Computer Crimes Unit assumed the identity of both girls and took over use of their cell phones.
Figurski, a 2007 state champion diver at LOHS who still holds diving records at the school, then allegedly requested the girls send sexually explicit pictures to him.
He also allegedly suggested he and the two minors engage in various sexual acts.
The ex-assistant coach was arrested by officers when he went to meet who he thought was one of the girls.
His cell phone and laptop computer were seized by authorities and are being forensically examined.
Figurski is being held at the county jail in lieu of posting 10 percent of a $50,000 bond.
Should he be released, the judge ordered he’s to have no contact with minors or OHS and cannot use a computer or any communication devices other than a land line telephone.
When asked to comment on all this, Oxford Superintendent Dr. William Skilling said, ‘I don’t know hardly anything about that situation. I didn’t even recognize the name when I got your voice(mail) message.?
Skilling indicated Kammer handled the situation. He said she made him aware of it when Figurski was arrested and the decision was made then to immediately terminate the coach’s relationship with the district.
‘I remember Nancy (Kammer) mentioning something about a volunteer coach sending some inappropriate messages,? he said.
Skilling admitted he didn’t know any specific details about the nature of those messages. When told the alleged content of Figurski’s text messages to the minors, the superintendent replied, ‘Oh my goodness, I didn’t know anything about that.?
‘All I know is that there was some inappropriate e-mail sent,? Skilling explained. ‘I didn’t know to what degree they were inappropriate. I don’t even know if (Kammer) knew at that time because she didn’t share any of that with me, that kind of detail. What you just shared is new to me.?
Kammer indicated when the sheriff’s department informed her of Figurski’s arrest, all she was told was that he had allegedly sent ‘inappropriate? text messages to the girls.
‘They didn’t give us any specifics at all,? said the deputy superintendent. ‘They were suppressing information due to the juveniles involved in the case. I tried to get information, but they didn’t give us any specifics.?
Kammer noted a standard background check on Figurski was conducted before he began coaching and there were no red flags at the time.
Whether they’re employees or volunteers, Skilling made it clear the district always tries to choose people ‘of high moral and ethical character.?
‘That’s a high priority,? he said.
When the district finds out an employee or volunteer has done something contrary to that desired character, the superintendent said, ‘You get rid of them right away.?
‘We just have zero tolerance for that,? he explained. ‘I think that’s what young people need to know and parents need to know ? that we would never tolerate anything like this.?