The former Peoria High School boys basketball coach facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct with two female students has been granted pretrial release for a second time.
Daniel Ruffin is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse in the latest case. Ruffin is accused of having sexual contact with a teenage victim who came forward after he was charged in a similar unrelated case last week.
The victim, who is now 18 but was a minor at the time, alleges she and Ruffin engaged in sexual acts on multiple occasions, with several incidents taking place in his office during school hours. Explicit text messages recovered from Ruffin’s phone verified the victim’s claims, according to authorities.
The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office sought to keep Ruffin in custody ahead of his trial. On Friday, Peoria County Judge David Brown cited Ruffin’s lack of prior felony convictions and the fact he is no longer employed by Peoria Public Schools in denying the prosecutors’ request.
Ruffin also faces charges of indecent solicitation of a child and grooming stemming from his initial arrest, after police allegedly discovered inappropriate text messages sent by Ruffin on a 16-year-old student’s phone.
Conditions of his release include electronic monitoring, home confinement, and no contact with the victims.
His arraignments in both cases are scheduled for March 12.
