Clark County Youth Football removed the coach who is a registered sex offender after a quick search exposed his history, prompting new safety measures.
CCYF shared on their Facebook page about the removal of a coach named Joshua Gene Warbis, who is registered as a sex offender.
On Friday evening, September 12, the league learned that Warbis might be a registered sex offender.
A quick search on the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs website confirmed this was true.
Within two hours of finding out, the league removed Warbis from his coaching position.
They stated they had no prior knowledge of his record because the information he provided for the background check didn’t show it.
After the games concluded on Saturday, the league’s board convened to discuss the incident and explore measures to prevent it in the future.
They admitted that, although they followed their usual background check process, it wasn’t sufficient because it relied on the information provided by the coach.
To make sure this doesn’t happen again, the league listed some steps to improve its system.
Some of which are moving the coach application process online to avoid issues with unreadable handwriting.
Likewise, they’ll also require a photo of a state-issued ID with every background check.
On top of the standard Washington State Patrol background check, they’re adding a second check through the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs offender database.
Following the post went up on social media, parents and community members expressed strong concern and frustration over the situation with Joshua Gene Warbis.
Many criticized the league’s background check process, noting that a simple Google search revealed Warbis’s history, which the league missed.
Trent Smith pointed out that it took only minutes to find this information. At the same time, Natalie Dodge questioned whether the league failed to run, verify, or ignore the background check results.
Some, like Jane Owen and Heather Bruns, alleged that the league was aware of Warbis’s history but allowed him to coach anyway. Jane Owen wrote:
they knew about all of this. They looked past it because they “knew him personally” Sickning putting all these children at risk
Jane Owen
Emily Villafranca raised specific questions about the league’s processes, including why a photo ID wasn’t required and how many seasons Warbis coached.
Others, like Whitney Miranda and Cathy Bergen, called the oversight unacceptable and emphasized that the league failed to protect children.
Several parents, including Chris Williams, demanded better communication, such as emails to all parents, not just a Facebook post. He commented:
Why is this only on Facebook? You realize not every parent out there has Facebook. Every parent with a child registered in the league deserves to be notified. An email should be sent out to each and every parent!
Chris Williams
Commenters like Kim Barrett and Brittany Clapp urged the addition of national background checks and rechecking current coaches.
