Case dismissed against former University Place coach charged with child rape, molestation
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. - UPDATE: The case against Michael Basse was dismissed without prejudice on Dec. 1, 2023, according to court records.
Previous story:
A former University Place coach and school district employee faces eight counts of child rape and five counts of child molestation.
According to charging documents, Michael Joseph Basse is accused in the rape or molestation of at least five children over the course of nearly ten years.
Basse, 59, was identified as a former University Place school district employee, youth baseball coach and martial arts instructor.
In one of the cases, a victim reported having been sexually assaulted by Basse on multiple occasions when they were 15. The victim said Basse first assaulted them in 2014 in a parking lot outside the University of Puget Sound. Additional assaults happened at a beach house on the Washington coast, at Basse's home in University Place and at a martial arts studio, the victim said.
The victim also said on multiple occasions Basse would give them alcohol prior to the assaults. The contact ended in 2016 when the victim's family found inappropriate messages sent from Basse.
Another victim, only 9 years old at the time, reported multiple sexual assaults by Basse from 2013-2016.
A third victim reported that Basse would send them inappropriate photos over the course of five years starting when the victim was only 11 years old.
Investigators interviewed at least two others who reported similar sexual assaults by the suspect. They are interviewing additional possible victims and more charges could be filed by the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
Detectives arrested Basse and booked him into the Pierce County Jail on April 21. A judge set bail at $250,000.
The Children's Advocacy Centers of Washington specializes in interviewing children who have gone through trauma and abuse. The organization has online resources to help you talk with your children about abuse and how to screen youth organizations.