SOMERS — A Massachusetts man who volunteered as an assistant wrestling coach at Somers High School pleaded guilty Monday to two charges involving a student, according to the Tolland Judicial District state’s attorney.
Justin Perez, 28, of Springfield, pleaded guilty October 26 to one count of risk of injury to a minor and one count of enticing a minor. State’s Attorney Craig P. Nowak announced the pleas in an official Division of Criminal Justice release.
Prosecutors said Perez was a Springfield police officer when he volunteered with the wrestling team in December 2023. According to the release, he used team messaging applications to obtain a student’s phone number, then sent private messages that became sexual. The investigation also concerned inappropriate physical contact during team activities.
The release says a disclosure to the head coach led to notification of Connecticut State Police. Investigators’ examination of Perez’s phone found messages and images consistent with the reported conduct, prosecutors said.
Sentencing is scheduled for January in Superior Court in Rockville. The announcement does not give an exact sentencing date or an imposed sentence, and this article does not report either as established.
This article was prepared from the official guilty-plea announcement, rather than firsthand courtroom reporting. The protected student’s identity and graphic or unnecessary identifying details are omitted. The reported guilty pleas are a verified change in the case, not merely pending accusations.