Former Oakdale coach charged with misdemeanor assault of 17-year-old wrestler

The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office has filed a misdemeanor battery complaint against an Oakdale wrestling coach, alleging he “did willfully and unlawfully use force and violence upon” a 17-year-old on school grounds.

The teen is Brodie Johnson and the incident allegedly took place May 11 when Brodie was a sophomore and member of the varsity wrestling team. The incident happened in an Oakdale High School gym when the wrestlers were playing basketball as part of a team-bonding exercise, according to a statement the teen provided Oakdale police.

The complaint is against 31-year-old Trent Noon, a former Oakdale High wrestling standout who went on to wrestle for the University of Northern Colorado.

And a law firm representing Brodie Johnson and his mother — Bay Area-based Carcione, Henderson & Markowitz — sent a claim Wednesday by certified mail to the Oakdale Joint Unified School District.

The claim alleges the district failed to adequately supervise Noon even though he was actively involved with the wrestling team, including chaperoning team members on meets held out of the area and participating in practices and meets and receiving awards during a wrestling team ceremony.

The claim also asserts the school district failed to stop wrestling team staff from allegedly bullying Brodie after Brodie’s mother reported the alleged harassment to the district. A claim can be the first step before a lawsuit is filed.

The claim includes the allegations that Brodie made to police, including that Noon assaulted the teen.

“As this appears to be a pending litigation issue, the District can’t comment on it, but to say that the District has not yet received any such formal communication from Ms. Johnson or her attorney,” said Craig Redman, the school district’s assistant superintendent for human resources in an email Thursday.

Brodie claims in his statement to police that Noon punched him in the jaw and pushed him to the gym floor after an errant basketball shot by the teen landed on Noon’s head as he was looking at his cell phone. Brodie wrote in his statement to police that he apologized to Noon but Noon still advanced on him, punched him and pushed him to the floor.

The typewritten, nearly two-page statement was given to Oakdale police on June 30. A supplemental police report states it was turned over to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office for its review.

The statement includes allegations of Brodie being shunned by the wrestling team coaches for reporting the incident and being kicked off the team.

Brodie also provided a brief one paragraph handwritten statement dated May 11 in which he states Noon hit him in the jaw and pushed him to the floor after Brodie threw a ball and it hit Noon.

Irene Johnson said Brodie wrote that statement at the urging of a teacher but kept it to himself and did not provide it until May 22 when she went to Oakdale High and met with the school resource officer and asked that charges be filed against Noon. She said Brodie did not tell her about the incident until May 19.

The May 22 police report states Brodie claimed that he did not say anything sooner about the incident because he said he was afraid of Noon.

Johnson said in an interview that her son was about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed about 156 pounds at the time, while Noon was about 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed about 230 pounds.

Attorney says student was the aggressor

Noon’s attorney, Dustin Dyer, said the allegations against his client are not true. “He (Brodie) was the aggressor and threw a basketball at the other person’s face and hit him,” said Dyer, who is with the Stockton-based Dyer Law Firm. “My client did nothing wrong. ... I think witnesses to the incident will tell a different story” from Brodie’s.

In supplemental police reports done in June, the school resource officer interviewed four witnesses. All of the names were blacked out.

One witness reportedly said Brodie “shot” the ball at Noon and it hit Noon in the head. “Noon walked over to (Brodie) and hugged him. (Brodie) then falls to the ground. He (the witness) advised there were no punches nor any pushing ... .”

Another witness, who identified himself as a coach, reportedly said Noon was texting on his phone and he saw Brodie throw the basketball in what the witness believed was an attempt to knock the phone out of Noon’s hand, but the ball hit Noon on the head.

“Noon then walked up to (Brodie) and put his arms around him,” the witness reportedly said. “It appeared to be a hug-like motion. He told me he believed Noon’s intent was not to hurt (Brodie) ... . He believed (Brodie) then on his own fell to the ground. He said there was no punching or pushing ... .”

But another witness reportedly said he saw Brodie attempt to make a shot at the basket but miss, and the ball landed on Noon’s head as Noon was texting. The witness said Noon was standing underneath the basketball hoop.

The witness reportedly said Brodie walked away but Noon walked at an angle to get in front of Brodie. The witness “saw Noon’s right forearm hit (Brodie) on the left side of his throat.” The witness said Noon put his arm around Brodie’s head in a headlock and placed him on the ground.

The fourth witness reportedly said he saw “bits and pieces” of the incident, including Brodie attempting to make a basket but missing and the ball hitting Noon on the head. “He did not believe (Brodie) tried to hit Noon. ... Noon then walked up to (Brodie) and hit him in the head. ... He saw (Brodie) fall to the ground.”

The school resource officer wrote in one of the supplemental reports that Noon declined to be interviewed on the advice of his attorney.

Brodie claims in the typewritten statement that he had never played basketball before and attempted a shot from the side of the basket. He said the shot went over the hoop and accidently landed on Noon’s head as he was texting on his phone. Brodie claims Noon was standing with two other coaches to the right of the basketball hoop.

Irene Johnson provided The Bee with copies of the police and supplement reports as well as her son’s two statements.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Wendell Emerson issued this statement: ”We have issued criminal charges against Noon related to the alleged assault of the minor at Oakdale High School.”

“The alleged assault ... was initially investigated by the Oakdale Police Department,” Emerson said. “Their findings were turned over to our office for review ... . The District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation has opened a separate investigation into the incident. I will be able to provide more information once the Bureau’s investigation has concluded.”

Emerson asked anyone with information regarding this incident to call the bureau at 209-525-5500.

Noon is scheduled to be arraigned in Stanislaus Superior Court on Dec. 28, according to court records.

District says coach was a volunteer

Brodie’s second statement to police claims Noon hit and pushed him during a team-building exercise involving the entire wrestling team, and the statement identifies Noon as an assistant wrestling coach.

Redman, the school district’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said Noon was not an assistant coach but rather a volunteer during the wrestling season, though Irene Johnson provided an official wrestling team photo for the 2022-23 season that included Noon.

Redman also said by email the alleged incident took place when the wrestling season was over and took place under the auspices of the Oakdale Wrestling Club. Redman said the club uses the high school’s facilities, including its wrestling room, gym and track during its season.

“Trent Noon volunteered his time during the OHS wrestling season,” Redman wrote. “He is not an employee of the district. The alleged incident took place during the club season and is a club issue.”

He added, “The incident was reported to Oakdale Police Department and is now in the hands of the District Attorney. Mr. Noon will no longer be volunteering for OHS wrestling and the district was informed that he will no longer be involved in the club.”

Brodie also wrote in the statement turned into Oakdale police June 30 that after his mother reported the incident to police and the high school, he was kicked off the wrestling team.

“All of the coaches have ignored me and shunned me,” Brodie wrote in the June 30 statement. “All of my teammates stopped speaking to me out of fear of retaliation from the wrestling coaches. A few of my wrestling team members have reached out and said that the coaches are telling other students not to give statements ... .”

Head coach denies accusations

“Head Coach Steve Strange had pulled me aside after my mom reported the physical attack on me to the Oakdale Police Department,” Brodie wrote. “He aggressively questioned me, asking if me and my mom were trying to get Trent Noon or him fired. He told me that he worked thirteen years to climb the ladder and there was no way that he or Trent Noon were going to get fired over my mom reporting what happened to me.”

Brodie and Irene Johnson said Strange was not in the gym when Noon allegedly punched and pushed Brodie.

In several text message exchanges with The Bee, Strange, who also is an Oakdale High teacher, denied the allegations against him. He also asserted that it was Brodie’s decision to leave the team and that he and other coaches wanted him to stay.

“Myself and other coaches have supported and mentored Brodie for almost 10 years with compassion and (a) desire for him to be his best, that never changed,” Strange wrote in a text message.

Oakdale has ranked among the top high school wrestling programs in the state under Strange’s tenure. He came to Oakdale as an assistant coach in 2010 and became head coach in 2014, according to Bee archives.

Irene Johnson said Brodie started participating in the Oakdale Wrestling Club when he was about 7 years old. He was a varsity wrestler at Oakdale High during his freshman and sophomore years. Johnson said Strange oversaw the club and served as the school’s varsity coach.

Brodie now attends Pitman High School in Turlock and is a junior on the varsity wrestling team.

“It’s not a good experience because mentally, like, it’s not good,” Brodie said in an interview. “I’m at a different school. I don’t get to see my friends. I found out who my real friends are and not. Coaches saying they loved me and not defending me and taking someone else’s side.”