Central Coast coach sentenced to more than 72 years for child sex crimes

August 22, 2024

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A Santa Barbara County judge this week sentenced a former Central Coast coach and yearbook distributor to more than 72 years in prison for dozens of child sex crimes.

In 2019, responding to a tip from a Santa Ynez Valley High School teacher who overheard an inappropriate conversation, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into Gregory Scott Ray. Detectives determined Ray, now 57, was using a social media app in order to meet and have sexual contact with young males and that he had been using the app for many years.

Deputies arrested Ray, and prosecutors later charged him with numerous offenses pertaining to crimes in Santa Barbara, Orange and Fresno counties.

In June, a jury convicted Ray of for multiple counts including lewd and lascivious acts on a child, sodomy of a person under 14, oral copulation of a person under 18 and attempted sexual penetration of a person under 18. Ray abused eight victims between 2007 and 2018, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. 

Ray reportedly met some of his victims through his sons, who attended schools in the area. He also coached Little League baseball and was involved with the high school volleyball team.

Prosecutors say Ray used his employment as a yearbook distributor in order to gain additional access to teenage boys. Ray met boys as young as 13 on dating apps like Grindr and Adam4Adam.

Eventually, one of the victims confided to a friend. Ray was then reported to the high school principal, who in turn, contacted law enforcement.

On Monday, a judge sentenced Ray to 22 years and four months in prison, followed by 50 years to life behind bars.

Ray received 22 years and four months for the crimes he committed against six of the victims. The judge sentenced him to two additional 25 years to life terms for the crimes against the other two victims. 

One of those two victims met Ray online when he was 12 years old, and then when he was 13, Ray sexually assaulted him in a park bathroom. The other, a 17-year-old victim, met Ray during a high school yearbook conference he organized. Ray forcibly sodomized the 17-year-old.

Ray faced a maximum sentence of 164 years to life.