South S.F. coach pleads no contest of lewd acts with teen

Mark Avery Turner Mark Avery Turner Photo: San Mateo County Sheriff Photo: San Mateo County Sheriff Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close South S.F. coach pleads no contest of lewd acts with teen 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A former South San Francisco high school basketball coach pleaded no contest to engaging in lewd acts with a teenage girl and warning her not to tell anyone.

Mark Avery Turner, 42, of Castro Valley entered his plea Thursday in San Mateo County Superior Court. He faces up to four months in jail when he is sentenced July 15 and must register as a sex offender, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Turner rubbed a 15-year-old girl’s thighs several times over a five-minute period on July 1, authorities said.

The incident happened in Turner’s car outside the girl’s home after he drove her there following basketball practice, authorities said. They did not disclose the team involved. Turner asked the girl if she thought of him as more than a coach and kissed her on the cheek, authorities said.

Turner made her swear not to tell anyone what had happened, investigators said. The girl eventually told several friends, though, and word got back to her parents, who called police, officials said.

Turner had worked for several years as a football coach and campus security officer at El Camino High School in South San Francisco, authorities said. He has coached girls basketball elsewhere in the Bay Area, police said.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee