A Ceres man who previously was an assistant wrestling coach at Pitman High School has admitted guilt to several counts of sexual assault involving minors and an adult, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Derek Young, 42, entered guilty pleas on July 30 to four counts of lewd acts with a minor by force or fear and one count of rape in a San Juaquin County courtroom.

Young engaged in a pattern of sexual abuse involving multiple victims for more than 20 years, in both San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, according to the District Attorney’s office. The abuse was reported initially in 2013 but resurfaced in 2023 leading to a subsequent investigation by Ripon Police Department Detective Kaeli Nutt that revealed multiple victims and instances of abuse spanning more than two decades across both counties.  

Young was arrested in February in the parking lot of Kaiser Permanente in Modesto, where he was employed.

Young was employed as an assistant wrestling coach at Pitman for the 2023-24 season and was a volunteer assistant coach for the team in 2021-22.

According to a search on TransparentCalifornia.com, Derek W. Young was a substitute teacher in the Ceres Unified School District from 2017 to 2018 and 2020 to 2021.

District Attorney Ron Freitas commended Detective Nutt, Judge John Soldati, and Deputy District Attorney Victor Bachand for their exceptional work on this horrific case. 

“This result is a testament to their dedication to the law. It brings justice to the victims and ensures that Derek Young will no longer be a threat to our community or anyone else’s,” said Freitas.

Young faces 40 years in state prison and must register as a sex offender for life. He is set for sentencing on Sept. 20.