Parmeter accused of illicit relationship with minor

By Brian Wright, Sports Editor
Published on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 2:27 PM MST

More information has come to light concerning the firing of Eastern Arizona College men's basketball coach Tim Parmeter.

A report from EAC Chief of Police Mike McEuen includes numerous references to alleged sexual encounters with a minor between October 2005 and December 2006.

The alleged victim first met Parmeter at the EAC gym and was invited to Parmeter's office along with a friend, according to police reports. Parmeter said he was going to give them a T-shirt.

The friend eventually headed back to the gym, leaving Parmeter and the victim alone in his office.

He kissed the girl on the mouth before she left the office, and that incident quickly escalated into a sexual relationship which was frequent in nature.

The girl, now 18 years old and a full-time student at EAC, was 16 years old when the sexual relationship began.

Parmeter and the girl started meeting several times a week and had sexual intercourse at his house and in his office.

The victim was first interviewed by McEuen on Jan. 9. On Jan. 10, she was interviewed by McEuen and Detective Kendall Curtis of the Thatcher Police.

The interview was recorded, and the girl gave graphic and specific details about her numerous sexual encounters with Parmeter.

McEuen and Curtis drove to the EAC campus to approach Parmeter on Jan. 17 and asked to speak with him.

Parmeter was asked if there was any truth to rumors of him being involved in a sexual relationship with a minor. He denied the rumors and also told EAC athletic director Jim Bagnall that the rumors were not true.

The police, however, did not believe Parmeter. McEuen told Parmeter he thought Parmeter did have sex with the girl because he had seen several e-mails of explicit nature that were sent by Parmeter to the victim.

Parmeter claimed that the girl was stalking him and that she had a password to his computer. He claimed she was responsible for the e-mails.

McEuen's report said that on Jan. 17 Parmeter was confronted and asked specifically about a particular sexual encounter with the victim at his home on the first night of the Graham County Fair in 2005.

"At this point, Parmeter's face turned red," the report states. "He did not admit that he had sex with (the victim)."

At 3:40 p.m. on Jan. 17, Parmeter was fired by EAC Executive Vice President Brent McEuen.

"I was asked to escort Tim Parmeter from the campus," Mike McEuen said. "He was advised that if he returns to campus, he will be arrested for trespass."

Thatcher Police Chief Mark Stevens filled in for McEeuen and escorted Parmeter from campus. Parmeter was not arrested.

The Graham County Attorney's Office is reviewing the police reports, and possible charges against Parmeter will be considered when the review is complete.

Comments

24 comment(s)

    To whodunit continued wrote on Feb 7, 2008 4:49 PM:

    " Graham County has a lower per capita rate of sex crimes reported and investigated than Phoenix or Tucson for the years 1985-2005. see http://www.disastercenter.com/arizona/crime/index.html for more information.

    Before you make insinuations based on a person's religious belief, perhaps you should do a little research first. That is, unless you enjoy being labeled a bigot by rational people.

    Your comments are even more disgusting when coupled with the fact that neither of the two men accused of sex crimes in the last year were part of the "religious fundamentalists" I'm sure you were referring to. "

    To Whodunit wrote on Feb 7, 2008 4:44 PM:

    " Whodunit, you stated, " ahh, the land of religious fundamentalism and sex offenders. why does graham county have a higher ratio of sex offenders than the worst sectors of pima and maricopa counties?." That is a well-placed inuendo intended to incite anger against those "religious fundamentalists." It's easy to say on a message board because you don't think anyone will call you on it. Well I hate false inuendos intended to incite anger, so I am calling you on it. - continued - "

    RDB wrote on Jan 30, 2008 2:02 PM:

    " whodunit-- put your sources up. Not impressed-- it is more than the laws and the judges as you put it. You can change those at the elections but what you can't change is that Graham County is a poor county and nobody wants to pay more taxes. As a result, plea deals are offered because trials cost money that taxpayers don't want to pay for. You want a trial on these people maybe more prison/jail time, better be prepared to pay for it. "

    Not Impressed wrote on Jan 30, 2008 9:06 AM:

    " To Whodunit; Just go into the Arizona court records on the net pick Graham County Courts. Look up anyone's record who is a habitual offender. You will find that they have been before many judges and as far as the judges are concerned, either they don't review past offences, or the law doesn't allow it. Which is it. We need to change either the law or the judges. "

    my thoughts wrote on Jan 27, 2008 5:17 PM:

    " I am not writing pro or anti- Mr. Parmeter. Girls, don't think because a teacher wants to give you a free t-shirt, or have you take his class, or even smiles at you, that he likes you for other reasons.
    I have seen girls go all googly excited because of such things and start a flirtatious relationship with a male teacher.
    There,s also way to much cleevage going on everywhere, including EAC, and I feel sorry for male teachers that have to view it constantly, not that it excuses their behavior, but it is a definite problem. "

    whodunit? wrote on Jan 27, 2008 12:25 PM:

    " ahh, the land of religious fundamentalism and sex offenders. why does graham county have a higher ratio of sex offenders than the worst sectors of pima and maricopa counties? that should be the burning question... beautiful country, weird people. "

    Jello wrote on Jan 24, 2008 7:49 PM:

    " For those of you who think of Safford and Thatcher as a hell hole pack your bags and leave. "

    Wrong county wrote on Jan 23, 2008 8:38 PM:

    " You stated in your piece that "The police, however, did not believe Parmeter." What exactly do
    you want your readers to make of that comment? We probably shouldn't believe him either because the police told you that they had seen "several emails of an illicit nature" and his "face turned red" when he was confronted by the officers. We don't need a trial. I read the Courier and they think he's guilty! What else do I need to know? He should have been smart and found a job in Greenlee County or Colorado City. "

    She's stalking me! wrote on Jan 23, 2008 4:10 PM:

    " Seems like every coach gives that excuse when accused of an inappropriate relationship. Do they teach that line in coach school or is it just a coincidence?

    Anyhoo...I know I just hate it when people (usually my high school students) get my computer password send explicit e-mails in my name to themselves. 'Cause, you know, that's what the cool kids do now-a-days. Happens more often often than you'd think. Seriously man! You gotta believe me on that one! It's not like when we were in school- whole different world.

    "

    Just so you know... wrote on Jan 23, 2008 2:44 PM:

    " Thatcher is the holier of the two hell holes- a modern day Zion, if you will. Safford is just, you know, not quite as holy . Thatcher's schools are "better" (heard they had a great art program) and it is home to a world class men's basketball program.

    Safford just can't quite keep up.
    "

    yup, it's true... wrote on Jan 23, 2008 1:56 PM:

    " ...she did make the decision to have sex (again and again), but in Arizona until you are 18, you do not have the legal right to make that decision. Furthermore, if you are 35ish and married, your common sense should kick in and tell you that you need keep your little friend in your pants (where it belongs). "

    Gag me wrote on Jan 23, 2008 1:47 PM:

    " She should accept responsibility??? For what? BEING *RAPED* (yes, my friends this is a rape case) BY A MAN MORE THAN TWICE HER AGE?!?!?!?!?! He has a foot, easily 50+ pounds, and almost 20 years on her, and you think she is the one who needs to accept responsibility?

    That, my friends, is small town mentality at its finest... "

    To Hello wrote on Jan 23, 2008 12:43 PM:

    " Thatcher and Safford or both the same city in reality, what separates them? They both are hell holes next door to each other. "

    up to here wrote on Jan 23, 2008 11:44 AM:

    " How sad this entire story is. I remember the judgement that was going on about his poor wife and baby - but now we see that there was really more to the story. God only knows what he put that poor woman and child through. His judgement will come and until then he has to live with what he caused. Everyone felt so sorry for him, now everyone sees him for what he is! "

    Consequences wrote on Jan 23, 2008 11:42 AM:

    " First of all, if Mr. Parmeter is found guilty, he should expect the maximum penalty under our laws because those are the consequences.

    Second, this young lady who undoubtedly is a victim (if Parmeter is guilty) cannot escape responsibility. I would be surprised if her parents didn't teach her better. You ask her conscience and it will tell you she knew better. She was old enough to drive and well past the age of accountability. Because of her choices, she should plea on Mr. Parmenter's behalf for lesser penalties. Her father should request the maximum. "

    Here is the wrote on Jan 23, 2008 9:33 AM:

    " real question, now that this is coming to light, what else is out there that we don't know about. A man who touches girls is capable of almost anything, right? We have all see the movies, in prison they have their own justice system where tough guys who touch women and girls become the women and girls...... "

    Is it just me... wrote on Jan 23, 2008 7:09 AM:

    " or does this guy look like one of those guys they catch on Dateline? Maybe it's just me. The beady eyes, the thinning, greased back hair, the way he always has that "deer in the headlight look" in every picture you see of him. It could be just me. Anyone else get that vibe from him? "

    someone wrote on Jan 23, 2008 12:08 AM:

    " Wow! after all the praise for Parmeter, what a piece of crap! "

    Gee Whiz Beaver wrote on Jan 22, 2008 11:47 PM:

    " So... this young lady was able to send incriminating emails in his name between October 2005 and December 2006, but not once did he think to change his password? Likely story. Did Paula know about the "stalking" prior to her untimely death?

    Another sexual deviant in our local education system has been exposed, but this time it involves a murder-suicide that may have been related.

    Come what may in the judicial process, I tend to wonder if Coach Parmeter might have a Basketball Coach position waiting for him in hell someday. "

    dj wrote on Jan 22, 2008 11:04 PM:

    " To Give him a break, Parmeter wasn't escorted off campus and fired for mere accusations. Mere accusations would justify perhaps suspension until verified. These accusations have apparently been verified. We'll all see what happens in Graham County Court once the county attorney's office files the charges which is what will come next, obviously. "

    Di wrote on Jan 22, 2008 9:19 PM:

    " Hopefully the investigating police department had Mrs. Parmeter checked from head to toe...if the guy is a child molester, he may also be a murderer. Even if there were suicide letters, they could have been written months or years ago. Yep, the lilly-white grieving widower isn't so innocent in this whole deal. As for the wife being placed on meds/counseling...isn't that just the M.O. nowadays? The wife is always the crazy one...I certainly hope the police officer who deemed the wife/Mom "evil," reads this. Perhaps Hubby/Dad is the evil one. "

    Hello!! wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:38 PM:

    " This is to "give me a break" for your information eac is in Thatcher not Safford. Put the pipe away!! "

    Give him a break... wrote on Jan 22, 2008 8:21 PM:

    " ...poor man is clearly the victim here. He has a vicious teenage stalker after him! She stole his computer password and is now in the process of creating a paper trail designed to frame him. It seems to be working, too, because he has already been fired. Who's to say he didn't turn red when questioned about the specific sexual encounter because he was embarassed at the thought of having sex with one other than his wife. If there were any truth to the accusations, he would have owned up to them, right? Poor man needs the witness protection program... "

    I Love Holy EAC wrote on Jan 22, 2008 6:12 PM:

    " Great more sexual deviation from higher education officials. Where is holiness anymore, where is the fear of God, where is morality, where is integrity, where is character, where is respect?

    Give me a break, what a joke, Safford needs to be purged of it's sin before Jeus returns to the earth. Oh do we believe what the Bible says about His return anymore? Probably not, we all do what we want, and God will just forgive us, right? "

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