Nyack College softball coach faced Calif. probe

SOUTH NYACK – A former Nyack College softball coach facing 100 counts of improper sexual contact with his players had been investigated on similar allegations in 2013 in California, though no criminal charges were filed.

Kurt Ludwigsen, 43, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, was arrested Thursday on charges he improperly touched players during his six-month tenure at the Christian college in South Nyack.

Before Nyack College hired him in September, Ludwigsen had come under scrutiny in California where he coached a traveling softball team of girls ages 15 to 18, Petaluma police Lt. Dan Fish said Wednesday.

Ludwigsen coached the the Nor Cal Assault for about a decade, according to news articles and other online documentation. The tip about his behavior came from a source who didn't witness anything first hand, Fish said.

"There probably was some inappropriate behavior," Fish said. "Nothing higher than misdemeanor sexual harassment and annoying a minor."

Fish said his department contacted 12 potential victims. Of those, "Five or six confirmed something occurred but they didn't want to participate and told us it wasn't a big thing."

He said the alleged acts occurred outside Petaluma and were more than three years old at the time, beyond the statute of limitations.

"We documented what we found out," Fish said. "He moved out of the area and we didn't know where, until we got contacted last week by the (South Nyack-Grand View police) detectives."

Ludwigsen's attorney said he was aware of the California investigation.

"I don't think much of that investigation," said David Goldstein of Chestnut Ridge. "The investigation didn't even lead to a low-level probable cause for an arrest."

The Nyack College softball team was playing in a tournament in Arizona on March 13 when concerns with Ludwigsen came to light, according to a statement released Wednesday by the college. A senior female administrator interviewed the Warriors players; the college's athletic director, also traveling with the team, then fired Ludwigsen and escorted him to the airport, the statement said.

Parents of some players complained to police about the same time that day, South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief Brent Newbury said.

Newbury said the players claimed the improper conduct started in October, about a month after the coach started work. He said the department continues to investigate the case.

Ludwigsen's lawyer questioned the timing of the players' complaints.

"It seems kind of odd that, all of a sudden, these college women get together and make all these allegations," Goldstein said. "He disciplined the players in Arizona and, the next thing you know, these allegations come forward."

Police initially charged Ludwigsen with 94 misdemeanor and violation counts of improper sexual contact with 13 players. Six more counts were added Monday after a 14th player returned to the area, Newbury said Wednesday.

He now faces 47 misdemeanor counts of forcible touching, oneof third-degree sexual abuse, and 52 violations of second-degree harassment. The sexual-abuse charge resulted from an "intimate kiss," Newbury said.

Ludwigsen is free on $1,500 bail. He pleaded not guilty Monday before South Nyack Village Justice Thomas Mascola and is due back in court May 11.

Nyack College has announced Kirsten Lambertson as its new softball coach.

Ludwigsen's wife, Ann, issued a statement through her lawyer that she was shocked to learn about the charges against her husband. The lawyer, Carmen Diaz-Duncan, said Wednesday that Ann Ludwigsen has filed divorce papers and the two are living apart. She said her client's concern remains the couple's two children.

Twitter: @lohudlegal