WEST PITTSTON — Authorities on Friday charged a volleyball coach at two area high schools with corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor.

Nicholas Diaco, 26, of Luzerne, was arraigned on the charges Friday afternoon by District Judge Joseph Carmody, according to court records. He was released on $25,000 bail ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 9.

According to the criminal complaint, Exeter police received a call from Wyoming Area Principal Vito Quaglia regarding an incident involving a coach and an athlete.

When police arrived, they were told about sexually explicit text messages sent from Diaco to one of the female athletes on the volleyball team. Police were given consent to search the victim’s phone and found “lengthy sexually explicit text messages” from Diaco, the complaint said.

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Diaco, according to his LinkedIn account, has been the girls head volleyball coach at Wyoming Area High School for more than three years and the boys head volleyball coach at Dallas High School for more than four years.

Wyoming Area Solicitor Jarrett Ferentino said the district learned of the allegations earlier in the week and contacted law enforcement.

“We decided to suspend (Diaco) immediately,” Ferentino said.

Shortly after suspending him, Ferentino said Diaco resigned from his position. Ferentino said the school is cooperating with law enforcement.

“We will assist them in any way we can,” Ferentino said.

Diaco has also been suspended from his financial analyst position at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, a spokesperson confirmed to the Times Leader Friday.

“The authorities have our full cooperation, and the employee has been suspended from GCMC,” said David Jolley, Geisinger Health System Vice President for Public Affairs.

Diaco
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Diaco-1.jpg.optimal.jpgDiaco

By Joe Dolinsky

jdolinsky@timesleader.com

Brigid Edmunds

bedmunds@timesleader.com

Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL