CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Frederick Rames, left, shown leaving a Sept. 27 court hearing with lawyer William Harrison, was rearrested yesterday for more alleged sexual assaults.

Coach rearrested in sex cases

The ex-youth league president is accused of sexually assaulting four more boys

The 65-year-old Wahiawa soccer coach accused of molesting two boys was arrested again yesterday, accused of sexually assaulting four more boys.

Frederick Rames, who has served as president of the Wahiawa Soccer Association for Youth League for 21 years, is accused of sexually assaulting the four boys, all under 14 years old, said Jim Fulton, spokesman for the city prosecutor's office.

The first set of charges lodged against Rames were for sexually assaulting two boys, ages 7 and 12. Police have said the 7-year-old contracted a venereal disease from the alleged incidents.

According to police, the new set of allegations, including witness tampering, were for alleged incidents from July 24, 2002, to Saturday, days after Rames made his initial appearance in Honolulu District Court.

Fulton said he could not release more details, pending formal charges. Rames was arrested at 8 yesterday morning at his residence on Holua Way.

Rames is being investigated for three counts of first-degree sexual assault, a Class A felony; 14 counts of third-degree sexual assault, a Class C felony; and four counts of tampering with a witness, a misdemeanor.

Fulton also could not specify Rames' relation to the four boys in the case or whether Rames had tried to contact only one or both boys from the previous case.

"Because he hasn't been formally charged yet, I can't release that information," Fulton said.

Rames was charged last month with six counts of third-degree sexual assault involving one boy on a team he coached and one of his foster sons. He had been free after posting $150,000 bail. Rames was scheduled for an Oct. 27 preliminary hearing for the initial charges.

Fulton said Rames faces 20 years each for the Class A felonies, five years each for the Class C felonies and up to a year for the witness tampering charges.

Rames' attorney, William Harrison, said he did not know of Rames' arrest until late yesterday afternoon, and was unable to provide comment on the new charges.

Harrison has called the previous allegations "overzealous" and said prosecutors had failed to gather sufficient evidence against Rames and that the coach does not have a venereal disease.

"I'm very much chagrined at the nature and manner of the way they arrested my client," said Harrison, adding that defense attorneys usually are contacted for a subsequent arrest so they can be turned in. "Not even calling me or letting me know what's going on."