Former assistant Linn-Mar track coach pleads to sexual abuse of two teen students

CEDAR RAPIDS — A former assistant track coach at Linn-Mar High School pleaded Thursday to lesser charges for sexually abusing two teen boy students in 2021 during what he called a “training program.”

Kameron Martelle Beets, 32, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual abuse, a felony, and sexual exploitation by a school employee, an aggravated misdemeanor, in a case involving a 17-year-old student. A charge of second-degree kidnapping will be dismissed at sentencing, as part of the plea agreement.

Beets also pleaded guilty in a separate case, involving a 15-year-old student, to assault with intent to commit a sexual abuse without injury, an aggravated misdemeanor. The other charge of lascivious conduct with a minor will be dismissed at sentencing.

Beets made Alford pleas to the charges. When a defendant makes an Alford plea, he doesn’t admit guilt but admits the prosecution has enough evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. These 2021 cases were rescheduled at least eight times over the last three years because Beets changed lawyers more than once.

He faces up to 14 years in prison and a lifetime special sentence of parole because this is a sex offense. He also must comply with sex offender registration requirements.

Assistant Linn County Attorney Jordan Schier, after the plea, said he made the agreement to get a forcible felony sex abuse conviction, as well as lifetime special probation and registry.

“In addition, it keeps him out of the community and sentences him to prison,” Schier told The Gazette. “Jury trials always carry a high risk, and I was not willing to risk this type of case to a jury and for the jury to not convict him and let him remain in the community.”

Schier said the agreement also allowed the young male victims to not testify.

“These were the most serious charges that he would have been convicted of, and there is no agreement to run them concurrently,” Schier noted. “The state will be asking for them to run consecutively and Mr. Beets to receive the maximum sentence in each one.”

Sixth Judicial District Senior Judge Patrick Grady set the sentencing hearing for July 16 in Linn County District Court.

The plea hearing was delayed nearly two hours because there was no court reporter available for it. The district is down 12 court reporters, as one retired last month, but District Court Adminstrator Kellee Cortez said one court reporter would start in June and another voice writer — reporter — will start in the next month or so.

There has been a shortage of court reporters, who make a formal record of proceedings, in Iowa and the nation over the last several years.

Criminal complaints

In 2021 after Beets was arrested, Linn-Mar High School officials said in the statement they were aware of the allegations but said Beets had resigned as a student supervisor April 14, 2021, and his contract as an assistant boys varsity track coach ended May 22, 2021. He did continue to volunteer as an unpaid coach.

School officials also said they didn’t think any complaints were received by school administration to suggest “misconduct in a school-related context.”

According to a complaint, the 17-year-old told police that Beets, who served as his coach, instructed the teen to send him nude photos or videos. Beets met Sept. 27, 2021, with the teen in an office at Linn-Mar High “to perform a ‘physical analysis’” for Beets’ personal “training program.”

During that meeting, Beets told the teen to undress and he molested and sexually abused him and confined him in a bathroom for over 45 minutes while the teen was naked, a criminal complaint stated. Beets took the teen’s clothes and wouldn’t give them back.

In the other case, a 15-year-old told police that Beets — his coach — asked him to send nude photos or videos and to meet him in person “for the purpose of evaluating and coaching him,” according to a criminal complaint.

Police also collected digital forensic evidence in the case, the complaint stated.

The teen told police that Beets met him Sept. 25, 2021, at Linn-Mar High to perform a “physical analysis” for a “training program,” during which Beets told the teen to strip naked before fondling his buttock and inner thigh.

Beets also had access to student athletes through his sports photography business and personal training program called BEAST Academy. Beets’ LinkedIn profile in 2021 stated he founded BEAST Academy in May 2020. The company’s social media accounts show dozens of photos and videos taken at prep football games, baseball games, wrestling matches and other events mostly in Eastern Iowa.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com