UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — A former Prince George’s County high school football coach has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for charges that he had sex with a student.
Friends, family and some students called 34-year-old Andre Brown the glue that held them together, but prosecutors called him a predator.
Brown, a former teacher and head football coach at High Point High School in Beltsville, was found guilty of sex abuse of a minor in September for having sex with a 17-year-old female student in 2013. Prosecutors said he brought the girl to the boy’s locker room and had sex with her during the school’s homecoming day.
A previous trial had resulted in a hung jury.
Brown faced a maximum of 25 years in prison and those close to him had begged the judge to sentence the coach to probation.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Dwight Jackson said what Brown did was “among the most natural human impulses, period,” but that it was “taboo” in civilized society, especially for someone in a position of authority. He said as a result, he would impose a sentence that some may view as “harsh” and even “cruel.”
“We think it’s a very appropriate sentence,” said John Erzen, spokesman for the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office. “This is someone who used his position of power and authority to prey on this student … we feel that he needs to be held accountable for that.”
Brown’s lawyer said she was limited at trial in how she could defend Brown, and that he “absolutely” would appeal.
