Former Mentor coach sentenced for sexual battery

A former Mentor assistant sports coach was sentenced to five years in prison April 18 after pleading guilty to sexual battery charges.

Zachary Martin, 29, of Mentor-on-the-Lake, pleaded guilty to third-degree felony sexual battery and fourth-degree felony attempted sexual battery in March. He was sentenced April 18 by Lake County Common Pleas Court Judge John P. O’Donnell.

Martin originally was charged with a 10-count indictment in November 2017 stemming from incidents in June of that year. He worked in Mentor Schools’ IT department starting in 2015, but he was placed on leave July 2, 2017, and resigned from the district 10 days later.

The News-Herald is not listing the sport Martin coached to help protect the victim’s identity.

At his sentencing hearing, Martin apologized to the victim and her family, the athletes he coached and to his family.

“This is not something I ever imagined doing,” Martin said. “I’ve always worked really hard to be the best that I could in my career and as a brother and a son and a friend. I know I’ll never coach again, but I still want to find a way to help others. I loved coaching, it was my life. This was a terrible choice that I made at the lowest point in my life.”

The victim’s mother said her daughter has been battling mental health issues for years and they worked tirelessly with therapists and counselors. That work was undone because of Martin’s actions, she said.

Her grades have suffered and she experienced bullying, the victim’s mother told the judge.

“I’ve had to work with my daughter, who has felt guilty,” she said. “It’s not fair and she’s still trying to understand and it’s not something you ever want to talk to your kid about.”

Assistant Lake County Prosecutor Michael Barth said Martin destroyed a good path that the victim was on.

“This case is an affront to all teachers and coaches who do things the right way,” Barth said. “They don’t do any wrongdoing and now they have to wonder if parents trust them. Now parents have to wonder if their kid is going to be OK when they drop them off with a parent or teacher.”

Martin’s father and sister also spoke on his behalf at the sentencing hearing. O’Donnell said that he received a total of 17 letters supporting him. He said an overriding theme of those letters was “Good people make bad decisions” and the actions were out of character. Martin had no previous criminal history.

After his release from prison, he also faces five years of community control and must register as a Tier III sex offender.

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