No Criminal Charges For RFH Coach, Attorney Says

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By Rich Chrampanis and Christina Johnson
UPDATE: Feb. 19: Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni released a statement acknowledging his office had conducted an investigation, as he takes seriously “allegations of potential criminal conduct involving inappropriate relationships between educators and their students.”
Evidence was insufficient to support criminal charges, he stated.  “However, we referred the matter to the New Jersey Department of Education Investigations Unit for any administrative investigation or other action within their jurisdiction to conduct.”
Batchler’s attorney, Mitchell Ansell, said he was satisfied his client had been cleared of criminal charges, but was surprised the matter had been forwarded to the Dept. of Education for review. ” If they believe it was administrative, we’ll have our day in court there,” he said. “I’ve got no notice that’s been done,” he added.


Original story, published in The Two River Times on Feb. 18: 
RUMSON – Mitchell Ansell, the attorney representing former Rumson Fair Haven Regional football coach Bryan Batchler told The Two River Times on Wednesday that his client was placed on administrative leave with pay on Dec. 14 by the RFH superintendent due to allegations of “an inappropriate relationship with a student.”
But Ansell said he received a letter on Tuesday from Thomas Fichter, director of the Monmouth County Prosecutor Office’s Special Victims Bureau that “as a result of their very thorough investigation there would be no criminal charges filed against Coach Batchler.”
Calls and emails to Charles Webster, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, seeking comment, were not immediately returned on Wednesday prior to press time.
In the meantime, a new football coach, Jerry Schulte, formerly of Mater Dei Prep and Wall Township, has been appointed by the school board as football coach. (See “Schulte Takes Over RFH Football Program” in Sports.)
“Unfortunately, the Superintendent (Peter Righi) did not wait for the outcome of this investigation and advised Coach Batchler that he would not be rehired as the football coach on December 23, 2015,” Ansell, of the law offices of Ansell Grimm & Aaron PC of Ocean Township, said in the statement emailed to the paper Wednesday.
“What is most unfortunate about this decision is that the people who will suffer the most are the young men in Rumson-Fair Haven who will not have Bryan Batchler as their coach,” Ansell said. “It is extremely unfortunate that in today’s society people make rash judgments and make assumptions without the benefit of any hard evidence. Essentially, Coach Batchler was falsely accused of criminal conduct and the prosecutor’s office didn’t even find that there was probable cause to believe that any criminal conduct was committed.
On behalf of Coach Batchler and his family, he wishes to thank his friends, coaches, current and former players for continued support of him during this very difficult time.”
Under Batchler, the Rumson Fair Haven High School Football Team won the state championship on Dec. 5, 2015. While he was head coach at RFH, his record was 30-6 over three years, with three sectional championships.
Ansell said: “What is most important, however is that Coach Batchler has now been completely vindicated and all the false rumors, innuendos and baseless allegations that have been made against him have been deemed to be completely incredible and he has been cleared of any wrong doing by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.”
RFH Board attorney Anthony Sciarrillo of Westfield was informed of the statement Wednesday afternoon, but declined to respond. “This is a personnel matter, so neither I nor any member of the Board of Education will have a comment,” he said. Messages were also left for Superintendent Righi, who did not immediately respond.