Taylorville soccer coach accused of grooming student

TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) – A volunteer assistant soccer coach with the Taylorville School District has been arrested for misconduct involving a minor.

Taylorville CUSD released a letter Thursday announcing the arrest.

WAND News spoke with Taylorville Superintendent Brandi Bruley who identified the suspect as 22-year-old Karla P. Collado, who was a volunteer coach with the girls’ soccer team at Taylorville High School. Bruley said Collado was not employed by the district but was immediately removed from her volunteer position.

According to the Christian County Jail, Collado is charged with Grooming- luring a child to commit a sex offense.

The Taylorville Police Department told WAND News it had investigating Collado for a couple of months. They said they arrested her during a traffic stop Wednesday after looking for her for several days.

They said Collado has no criminal history.

Bruley told WAND News the victim is a male student with the school, but none of the alleged misconduct occurred on school property. She said the state’s attorney’s office told her the misconduct reportedly happened at “personal residences,” but did not specify whose home or homes those were. Bruley said the student’s parents discovered disturbing text messages on their child’s phone from Collado and reported the messages to police on Wednesday.

Several online profiles show Collado was a former player for Taylorville soccer. The district said she has been a volunteer coach since the start of this school year.

Collado appeared in court Thursday for the first time at 10 a.m.