SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after deputies arrested a Tracy man on multiple complaints of felony child sex crimes.
Ronald Ray Lovell, 56, was arrested on Aug. 26 following an investigation by the sheriff’s office and the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force. Lovell is facing felony charges of communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a sex offense and two other related felony charges, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators have not said when Lovell’s alleged crimes occurred nor have they shared any specific information about a possible victim or victims.
Lovell used to work for the Tracy Unified School District as a girls’ sophomore basketball coach at Kimball High School from 2010 to 2015, the sheriff’s office said. Lovell was also the girls’ varsity basketball coach at West High School from 2015 to 2019. He resigned from the district in September of 2019, investigators said.
The investigation is active and ongoing, the sheriff’s office said. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Child Abuse Bureau at 916-874-5191, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office at 209-468-4400, or Tracy Police Department at 209-831-6550.
Lovell was one of 18 men arrested during “Operation Catch-A-Predator.” The sting operation, which took place between Aug. 23 and Aug. 27, was conducted by the sheriff’s office, the Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, and several other law enforcement agencies.
Each of the men who were arrested are facing similar complaints for arranging to meet a child for sex, the sheriff’s office said.
