How did background check miss coach's conviction?
Chimenti served time for the offense, then applied for the assistant football coach position at Eastside High School in Bellevue, Wash. without disclosing his past conviction.
When Eastside ran a background check on Chimenti in October 2008, however, his charges, which were first filed in April 2008, did not appear.
Eastside hired Chimenti, whose past remained a secret until he was arrested on July 21, accused of groping and fondling a 17-year-old Eastside student while vacationing with the girl and her parents.
An investigation into the latest incident revealed Chimenti's prior conviction to the surprise of his employer. Eastside Catholic High School President Jim Kubacki said he was just as dumbfounded by the oversight as the parents.
"We're always, first and foremost, concerned about our students and our families, both their welfare and their security," he told KOMO News on Tuesday.
Kubacki declined a follow-up interview on Wednesday, leaving parents to wonder whether the mistake could be made again.
"Why did they miss something like this? This is somebody who deals with kids," said parent Dan Lester. "This is a pretty critical issue."
KOMO News followed the paper trail for a closer look at the apparent flaw.
A time line shows the victim in Virginia first reported the assault in November 2007. Chimenti was arrested the following April and charged with two felony counts in the following days.
By October, Chimenti was back in Sammamish, Wash. That same month, Eastside Catholic ran a background check on him, which came back clean.
KOMO News called CICS Employment Services, Inc., the Oregon-based security company that ran the background check. CICS President Alex Ward pointed to prosecutors in Virginia, who, he said, had filed Chimenti's information in an inconspicuous place.
"CICS did a record search for Chimenti in circuit court and general district court in Virginia," he said. "We found no criminal charges, closed or pending."
What's more, Ward said, Chimenti's two felony charges were later dropped and refiled as one gross misdemeanor charge, which was not advanced to circuit court.
"It was refiled in the juvenile domestic relations court, and we don't typically search that court," he said.
Kubacki said the school has parted ways with Chimenti, but still lingering from his case are unsettling questions of what background checks might miss, and how often. Still, many Eastside parents say they stand by their school and its efforts to keep their children safe.
"If somebody needs to ask information, they are free to go to and talk with the president of the school," said parent Claudia Barrera.
Chimenti's attorney says in the wake of the most recent accusations, both Chimenti and his family members have fallen victim to threats. His trial starts next month.