Murrieta Valley JV Girls Soccer Coach Accused of Soliciting Minor

Editor's Note: This post was updated at 1:40 p.m. Jan. 30 to include a more comprehensive list of Kelly's employers, as well as a statement to parents from Murrieta Surf, where Kelly served as director of goalkeeper development.

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A Murrieta Valley High School JV girls soccer coach has been arrested on suspicion of felony soliciting a minor for sex and misdemeanor annoying or molesting a child, according to police.

Daniel Ryan Kelly, 26, of Temecula was taken into custody at about 2 p.m. Monday after police learned of an alleged relationship between him and a 16-year-old female student athlete, Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad said in a news release.

At the time of his arrest, Kelly, who is also a local club soccer coach, was serving as a walk-on coach for the Murrieta Valley girls junior varsity soccer team, Conrad said.

Kelly works as director of goalkeeper development for Murrieta Surf, according to his Facebook profile.

Murrieta Surf, a club division affiliated with Murrieta Youth Soccer League, sent the following statement to parents Wednesday morning: "Murrieta Surf Soccer Club has made been made aware of a situation involving Dan Kelly. Dan Kelly has been relieved of his duties with the club and has been placed on unpaid leave of absence. Any questions regarding this matter should be directed to the club president and legal staff."

Kelly was also employed by Temecula United and he did private sessions for players from the Hawks and Arsenal in addition to running ran his own camps, Patch has learned.

An in-depth investigation was completed by Murrieta police detectives, Conrad said, after which Kelly was arrested and booked at Southwest Detention Center.

As of Tuesday, Kelly was being held on $25,000 bail, according to sheriff's jail records.

Kelly's employment with the Murrieta Valley Unified School District began during the 2009-2010 school year, according to Karen Parris, spokesperson for the district.

He was not a teacher with the district, police and school officials said.

"He does not hold any other positions," Parris said. "He was a part-time, walk-on assistant coach at Murrieta Mesa for a couple of years. He started last year at Murrieta Valley and this year was the first year he was head JV coach."

As with all coaches, Parris said, Kelly was required to undergo an extensive background check before he was hired at the district. The district requires a clearance certificate, which includes a criminal and fingerprint check through the Department of Justice, she said.

"All of that was done prior to him being hired," Parris said. "And during the course of his employment, there was never any reason to suspect inappropriate conduct."

Parents of Murrieta Valley High School were notified Tuesday of Kelly's arrest via phone and email messages, Parris said.

"He was arrested yesterday and the reason for the delay in notifying parents is police asked us to hold off while they were conducting their investigation," Parris said.

Murrieta police are continuing their investigation to determine if there are any additional victims, according to Conrad.

Anyone with information related to the investigation was asked to contact Detective John Therien at 951-461-6346, or Detective Sgt. Phil Gomez at 951-461-6356. Information can also be provided anonymously through “We Tip” at 1-800-78-CRIME.