RUBIDOUX - Not long after Adolph Ganion III's arrest in October on suspicion of child molestation, Rubidoux resident Margie Loya had a heart-to-heart talk with her 13-year-old son.

"It was hard," Loya said, as she sat in the stands of Veterans Memorial Park on a blustery November afternoon. "I didn't even know how to ask him."

It was a scene played out over and over as worried parents of Jurupa National Little League players took their children aside and asked about inappropriate behavior during the time they were coached by Ganion - who police say used the name Al Humphrey.

Former Little League coach Adolph Ganion III has been charged with child molestation.



Although her son said nothing had happened, the experience has left Loya and other parents shaken and adamant that Little League needs to mandate the fingerprinting of all volunteers for the sake of the children.

"The parents are all concerned," Loya said. "We've got to be more careful."

In the case of Jurupa National and other youth sports leagues that play on Jurupa-area fields, the decision to mandate fingerprinting has already been made for them.

On Dec. 11 the Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District board of directors voted to require fingerprinting of all volunteers who work with local youth sports leagues such as Little League and AYSO.

But Little League officials say that the cost of fingerprinting the 1.5 million volunteers that form the backbone of Little League Baseball is financially prohibitive and could confer a false sense of security.

While fingerprinting would have turned up Ganion's criminal record involving children - which authorities say stretches back to 1978 - such a procedure would do nothing to stop a sexual predator who has no record.

This year, Little League began requiring a check of each state's sexual offender registry for every volunteer.

But that requirement came with a warning, according to Little League spokesman Lance Van Auken.

"We've told our leagues from the start that this can't be seen as a panacea," Van Auken said. "They have to be vigilant for signs of a sex offender."

Guidelines posted

Little League has posted guidelines for spotting a potential child molester. Among them: providing unwarranted trips, displaying excessive interest in children, getting along with children better than adults.

It remains unclear whether Jurupa National Little League ever did any type of background check on any of its volunteers, includingHumphrey.

"He was a good coach," said parent Ignacio Gonzalez. "He was patient, knowledgeable and didn't yell at the kids. He bought them drinks and snacks."

But other parents said they had concerns.When they asked board President Butch Guzman and other board members whether Humphrey had been fingerprinted, they were told there was no money.

Guzman and Vice President Jesse Vasquez have declined comment on anything having to do with Humphrey. Van Auken said the matter is under investigation.

A check of Los Angeles County court records shows that in 1977 Adolph Ganion III was charged with six counts of lewd and lascivious acts involving six boys, all of them 11 and 12 years old. He pleaded guilty to three counts and was placed on four years' probation.

A condition of probation barred him from ever coaching any sports activity involving children.

Ten years later, in 1987, Ganion was charged with molesting three boys - two 6-year-olds and a 2-year-old.

Charges involving the toddler were ultimately dismissed and Ganion pleaded no contest to two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and one count of sodomy of a person under 14.

He was sentenced to 15 years in state prison.

Familiar face

Accusations of child molestation and Ganion's use of another name came to light after a resident saw his face in the Megan's Law database, said Deputy Dennis Gutierrez, a Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

The resident recognized Ganion as the person known in the Jurupa area as Al Humphrey and alerted law enforcement. During the subsequent investigation, several children came forward and accused Ganion of molestation.

Ganion has been charged with 14 felony counts alleging lewd and lascivious acts against children. If convicted on all counts, he faces a sentence of life in prison.

Ganion, who remains jailed at Robert Presley Detention Center, has entered a plea of not guilty.

Millions of volunteers
The challenge of requiring fingerprinting for everyone involved in youth sports activities becomes apparent in light of the sheer numbers of children and volunteers involved.

According to a 2001 study of the National Council of Youth Sports, every year an estimated 38 million youngsters in the United States participate in some type of sport be it baseball, soccer, hockey, basketball or football. They are coached by millions of volunteers.

According to Van Auken, the cost of fingerprinting varies widely from state to state.

The Riverside Police Department charges $10 per set of prints sent to the California Department of Justice, according to Officer Felix Medina. The state charges $32 to run the prints and a check of the FBI database costs an additional $24.

But money should not be an issue in California, said Santa Ana Attorney Thomas Cifarelli, who sued Little League Baseball in 2000 on behalf of several children victimized by Norman Watson.

Watson was a convicted child molester who coached for a number of years for East Baseline Little League in the San Bernardino County city of Highland. He pleaded guilty to 39 counts of child-related sex offenses in 1998 and received an 84-year-sentence.

Since the 1980s, California law allows for no-cost fingerprint checks for nonprofit organizations such as Little League, Cifarelli said.

Background check regulations differ from sport to sport. AYSO performs "targeted" checks.

Pony Baseball/Softball recommends background checks but has no requirements. Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Kelly Hansen, who is prosecuting Ganion, said he believes strongly that a thorough background check should be done on anyone working with children, no matter the cost.

"I think most parents would be willing pay (an extra cost)," Hansen said. "I don't think money should ever be the issue in determining if our kids are safe."