Former Latrobe wrestling coach not guilty in alleged hazing case

Former Greater Latrobe Area Junior High School wrestling coach Cary Lydic was acquitted Friday of charges alleging that he endangered students and failed to report potential child abuse in connection with suspected hazing incidents last year.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger issued the verdict without explanation after hearing two days of testimony in a nonjury trial this week in which Lydic, 30, of Greensburg, faced two misdemeanor counts.

Prosecutors said Lydic violated his duty to report child abuse claims related to repeated hazing incidents among the student wrestlers last year.

Lydic claimed he broke no laws and said the alleged abuse was just “horseplay.”

“Confident in his innocence from the outset and unwavering through Judge Krieger’s verdict, coach Cary Lydic is now relieved. Continuing in his steadfastness, he is ready to move forward with his life and coaching career,” defense attorney Casey White said in an emailed statement issued Friday afternoon.

Students testified that members of the wrestling team used a wooden object they called a “rape stick” to assault other teens before practices at the school in January 2020. The middle school students pinned other teens to the floor and repeatedly jabbed the stick into their buttocks, they claimed.

Security video played in court during the trial showed Lydic confiscating the stick following one incident in the gym, and being handed the object by a student after another incident a week later.

Lydic testified he didn’t suspect child abuse and denied allegations made by team members who claimed they told him about the hazing. He said he promptly reported allegations to school authorities after he received a complaint from a parent.

White was critical of both school officials and the prosecution on Friday, suggesting Lydic was a scapegoat to cover district failings that left teenage wrestlers unsupervised before practice.

“The administration knew that they had failed to fix a known supervision issue and true to their heavy-handed nature, they pushed Coach Lydic into the proverbial fire. The current administration and the former athletic director should be ashamed. Greater Latrobe School District lost a true asset to their school community, it is coach Lydic’s hope that time can repair some wounds and they can work together in the future,” White said.

Head coach Lydic and assistant coach David F. Galando, 44, of Youngstown, were fired after the hazing allegations surfaced.

Galando, like Lydic, was charged with two misdemeanor offenses and last October was ordered to serve two years on probation as part of a deal with prosecutors that enabled him to enroll in the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time, nonviolent offenders.

Galando did not plead guilty to the charges, and his criminal record can be expunged after two years.

Four 15-year-old boys, all members of the wrestling team, were prosecuted in juvenile court. Those proceedings are held behind closed doors and the results are not made public.

Assistant District Attorney Judi Petrush said she was disappointed with Friday’s verdict.

“I hope all the athletes are able to heal and move forward and have a great school year. There should be zero tolerance for hazing and abusive behavior,” Petrush said.

She urged vigilance in protecting juveniles from physical and sexual abuse and said suspected incidents should be reported to the state’s ChildLine system either on line or by phone at 1-800-932-0313.