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Teen Gave Details Of Coach's Tattoos, Home

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 11, 2008

TAMPA - When deputies searched a Newsome High School boys soccer coach's home a few weeks ago, they did so looking to confirm a description a teenage girl gave of the man's unclothed body and descriptions of the interior of his home.

Ronald Lewis

The teen said Ronnie Lewis, 37, had multiple tattoos on his body and Lewis' body was clean-shaven, including his pubic area, according to a search warrant.

Lewis, 37, was arrested Jan. 31 at his house and charged with seven counts of sexual activity with a minor, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

From February 2007 to November, Lewis had sex with a Newsome student at least seven times in his Jeep Wrangler, his home and other locations in the county, according to the sheriff's office. The victim was 17 at the time.

According to the warrant, an unidentified juvenile witness was in a vehicle with Lewis on Jan. 19 and overheard a phone conversation between Lewis and the teenager. Lewis, said the witness, was "angry" with the girl. After the phone call, Lewis told the witness that he and the teenager had been having sex "since last February," the warrant states.

When deputies searched the home at 1505 Crooked Stick Drive, Valrico, they tried to confirm a description the girl gave. She said his tattoos included a tear drop down his back "in an Indian style."

The teen also said Lewis' home had a white carpet in the living room and an L-shaped couch. She said the "extra room" in the home had a bookshelf with games on it and life-size pictures of sports figures, including Derek Jeter.

Lewis was pulled from a Newsome classroom last month when the allegations surfaced that he had an inappropriate relationship with a student, and he has since resigned, Hillsborough County School District spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said.

He has since been released from jail on $52,500 bail.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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