CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- Two Richmond Christian School administrators have been arrested in the wake of two of the school's volleyball coaches being charged with sexually assaulting a student.
Chesterfield Police said Clifton Williams, Richmond Christian's head of school, and Derek Zbyszinski, the school's business manager, were charged with failing to report the suspected abuse/neglect of a child.
Police said investigators learned on Friday, Aug. 13 about an allegation that a volleyball coach at the school was "engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old student."
When officers spoke with Williams and Zbyszinski on Monday, Aug. 16, the men "failed to make the appropriate mandated notifications about the incident," according to police.
Todd Stone, a legal analyst for WTVR CBS 6, said that according to state law, both Williams and Zbysinkski were required to to report the abuse.
"So the Virginia code puts a mandatory reporting requirement on lots of different professions, among those are school personnel," Stone said. "And the reason that's there is because sometimes consensual relationships go on for a period of time."
RELATED: Police charge second Virginia volleyball coach in sexual assault
Sixty-six-year-old Williams and 46-year-old Zbyszinski were arrested Friday.
The pair, who are both from Chesterfield, were charged with failing to report suspected abuse/neglect of a child.
Both were released on unsecured bonds, officials said.
Tara Drooker, 30, is accused of sexually assaulting a student at Richmond Christian School in 2017 where she taught history and coached volleyball. Drooker most recently coached volleyball at Cosby High School in Chesterfield.
Drooker, according to Chesterfield Police, had an "inappropriate relationship with a juvenile female student" at Richmond Christian School that started in 2017 and "continued over a period of years."
Drooker was arrested Thursday and chargedwith four counts of taking indecent liberties with a child by a custodian.
She was being held without bond at the Chesterfield County Jail.
Earlier this week, another volleyball coach at Richmond Christian School, 21-year-old Elisabeth R. Bredemeier, was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child by custodian and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In that case, the alleged assaults against that female student took place off-campus between April and July, according to police.
A family member of that student reported the relationship to the police last week.
"So even though it's a alleged consensual relationship, because of the age difference, it becomes a criminal allegation," Stone said. "And because of the supervisory relationship that a coach has, you know, it becomes a felony in terms of charges."
Stone said that both women could face serious charges if convicted.
"Charges that carry sex offender registry, it's mandatory, if convicted, they could carry prison time, jail time, and a fine up to $2,500," Stone explained.
Following Bredemeier's arrest, Richmond Christian School released this statement:
"Richmond Christian School (RCS) is aware that a former employee has been arrested and charged with crimes against a minor. The former employee was most recently the school’s girls’ volleyball coach. She is no longer employed by RCS. We understand that the alleged conduct took place off school grounds. Child safety, education and development are paramount here at RCS. As such, we are deeply disturbed by the allegations; we take these developments and their potential impact on our community very seriously; and we are cooperating with authorities. Since this is an ongoing police investigation, given the legal process, please understand that we are not able to comment further at this time."
Both women coach at the Richmond Volleyball Club, which issued a statement Friday in the wake of the arrests:
"The Richmond Volleyball Club recently become aware that two of our former coaches - Elizabeth “Rose” Bredemeier, former assistant coach, and Tara Drooker, former head coach, both of the boys’ 17-2 team - have been charged with sexual assault of a minor. We took steps to immediately remove both coaches from their positions at RVC.
"We take the safety of our athletes seriously. All coaches are required to complete SafeSport training prior to coaching. SafeSportprovides training to prevent abuse and misconduct.
"While we have no knowledge of any inappropriate contact that either coach had with RVC athletes, we are notifying our parents and guardians as an added measure to keep our children safe. We continue to encourage parents to talk to their children about safe interactions with adults."
Police said their investigation into the case is ongoing.
Investigators asked anyone with information about either case to call the Chesterfield County Police Department at 804-748-1251.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
