Wrestling coach receives prison time, ban from youth sports

A longtime wrestling coach has been sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to perform 150 hours of community service for molesting a 14-year-old female wrestler in 2012.

Circuit Judge Randal Lee also sentenced Keith T. Matsu­moto, 56, to five years of probation and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life. Matsumoto is also banned from being involved in youth sports.

Deputy Prosecutor Ro­chelle Vidinha called Matsu­moto a "wolf in sheep’s clothing" who abused his position of authority to prey on girls and asked the judge to sentence him to a maximum five-year prison term.

She said Matsumoto never owned up to his actions and changed his story a couple of times before admitting he touched the victim "in a moment of weakness" and had touched another girl two weeks earlier.

Matsumoto was coordinator of the state high school wresting championships when he groped the victim at a state tournament at Farrington High School. Matsu­moto said he patted the girl on the rear and told her "good job" when he passed her.

The victim did not attend the sentencing, but Vidinha said her family only wanted to stop Matsu­moto and was satisfied with his conviction.

A jury had found Matsu­moto guilty of third-degree sexual assault in February.

Lee said the girl is a "champion" for testifying against the coach, who was a "pioneer in the field of wrestling" and received 81 letters of support.

Matsumoto apologized in court to the girl and her family and wished her well.

Defense attorney David Haya­kawa said he will appeal the conviction because police told Matsu­moto he failed a polygraph test that he actually passed, then urged him to make statements to help make the problem go away.

Hayakawa said the defense was not allowed to tell the jury about a detective’s conversation with Matsu­­moto regarding the polygraph test.