Morgan Hill Police finished the final steps of further
investigation into Sobrato High School’s head football coach and
math teacher Thursday, though they couldn’t comment if charges
against Hollister resident Jeff Patterson are pending.
Morgan Hill Police finished the final steps of further investigation into Sobrato High School’s head football coach and math teacher Thursday, though they couldn’t comment if charges against Hollister resident Jeff Patterson are pending.
“We’ve completed our additional interviews, requested by the District Attorney’s Office, we’ve turned everything we have in the case over to them,” Morgan Hill Police Cmdr. Joe Sampson said Thursday. “We’re on standby, just like everyone else, waiting for the call.”
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office refused to comment on the case at this time.
Patterson has been interviewed by detectives, but not arrested or charged with any crimes. He has refused to comment on the investigation. His lawyer, Larry Biegle, also refused to comment until the district attorney decides if charges will be filed.
Police received a call on Nov. 8 from the father of a female 17-year-old Sobrato High School student, alleging that Patterson, who also taught math at the school, had “urged” her to forge a note to get out of her sixth period class, then picked her up in his car down the street from the school, on Burnett Avenue. The student told her father who then told police, that once in Patterson’s car, he drove to the UPS store, then to a side street, where he parked and she performed oral sex on him.
Patterson’s car was impounded for a day and evidence samples were taken and sent to the county crime lab, but Sampson would not specify what type of samples were taken.
Police conducted an investigation while Patterson was on leave from his teaching and coaching positions, missing his varsity football team’s last game of the season, as well as the varsity and junior varsity banquet. Information gathered during the investigation was turned over to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office at the end of November. Less than a week later, on Dec. 5, Victoria Brown, supervisor for the district attorney’s sexual assault team, requested further investigation by MHPD detectives.
“She had asked us to conduct additional interviews,” Sampson said. “We’ve done that, we’ve put everything together. I don’t know what their direction is going to be, and I don’t know when she will have anything more for us. This is not the kind of case that is going to be rushed through. Certainly we would like some direction as soon as possible, we understand everyone connected to the case would also like some kind of resolution, but we cannot push her to come to a quick decision.”
On Friday, Brown would not comment on the case or how long it could take to make a decision.
“I have nothing for you right now,” she said.
Sampson said when the district attorney reviews a case for potential charges, they may look at cases in a different way than police do.
“Obviously, when we turn a case in, we feel we’ve covered all the bases,” he said. “They may come up with things we didn’t think of, things that are important to them. They look at how they’re going to prosecute, what they need to say to a judge and jury.”
