LONG BEACH >> A longtime Hughes Middle School volunteer coach pleaded not guilty Thursday in Long Beach Superior Court to nine counts related to a child sexual abuse investigation. The abuse reportedly took place for more than a decade, officials said.

Christopher Anthony Gray, 35, of Long Beach, who according to reports was the flag football and girls’ basketball coach at the school, was charged Thursday with six counts of lewd acts upon a child, two counts of continuous sexual abuse and one count of dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, according to Shiara Dávila-Morales, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Gray was arrested and booked into Long Beach Jail on Tuesday afternoon on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.

The alleged crimes involve two victims and occurred between September 2003 and October 2013, she said.

Gray is being held on $1 million bail.

“(The) investigation is ongoing, however, nothing at this point has indicated any students were involved or that anything occurred on school premises,” Long Beach police Sgt. Aaron Eaton said. “Students do not appear to have been his target.”

Gray will no longer be allowed to volunteer with the school district “pending the resolution of this case,” said Chris Eftychiou, spokesman for Long Beach Unified, however it was unclear if Gray was still volunteering for the school during the criminal investigation.

“That’s what really worries us the most,” said a family member of the alleged victims, who did not want to be identified due to the pending case. “These kids he was around are the same age (the victims) were when all of this happened.”

The woman said Gray had known their family for a long time, but wouldn’t speak about the exact relationship between Gray and the victims.

Gray has been a volunteer with the district since 1999, according to district officials, and has assisted in helping the Hughes Middle School boys’ basketball team in earning at least six championship titles in the last decade.

“We conduct background checks, including Megan’s Law screening, on volunteers before they are allowed into our schools, and we coordinate with law enforcement if such allegations arise,” said Eftychiou in an email.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 5, Dávila-Morales said.

Contact Beatriz E. Valenzuela at 562-499-1466.