WASHINGTON — The Richard Montgomery High School security chief accused of sexually abusing a female student has a long history of working with teenagers on the basketball court.
Mark Yantsos, of Gaithersburg, has a three-decade career of coaching high school-level girls and boys basketball in Maryland and New York City.
Yantsos, 57, was jailed Friday after a judge revoked his bond that required he stay away from the 17-year-old Richard Montgomery student with whom he’s accused of having an ongoing sexual relationship.
An attorney representing Yantsos declined to comment on the matter.
Yantsos is listed online as the Program Director of the 2016 Maryland Lightning, a girls’ basketball travel team with players from schools including National Cathedral, Sidwell Friends and Bullis.
The onetime New York City police officer also coached the girls basketball team at Richard Montgomery High School for two seasons and his online bio says he coached at the Academy of Holy Cross in Kensington.
He also headed the Richard Montgomery High School boys and girls basketball camp.
Yanstos, who is on administrative leave from his job as head of security at Richard Montgomery High School, told The Tide, the school’s student newspaper in December 2015, that the most important aspect of his job was to keep students safe.
“That’s our main objective, so that you go home at the end of the day to your parents,” he said.
Yantsos facing charges including sexual abuse of a minor is scheduled for trial in Montgomery County June 2.
WTOP’s Ralph Fox contributed to this report.
