MARTINEZ, Calif. — In a packed courtroom here on Tuesday, tenured Diablo Valley College professor and coach Kyle Lee Whitmore entered a not guilty plea on nine felony charges including allegations of human trafficking and sexual assault in a case that has shocked the East Bay community college and drawn nationwide attention.
The solemn faces of Whitmore’s family members and dozens of his supporters filled the Contra Costa courtroom on Sept. 19 as Whitmore’s defense attorney, Darryl Stallworth, told the judge his client pleaded not guilty to all nine charges.
Speaking after the proceeding, Stallworth, a long-serving Bay Area attorney, cast doubt on the legitimate claims of Whitmore’s two female accusers, one of whom is a student at DVC, and reinforced the reputation of his client who became a prominent figure at the school.
“[Whitmore] is everything that the school wanted him to be, but he’s also a man who’s got a private life,” Stallworth told The Inquirer.
According to Whitmore’s defense, the case hinged around the way a man privately, and legally, conducted his life.
“This is a case about adults engaging in a private lifestyle — a lifestyle that was consensual, a lifestyle that’s unfamiliar to most people and uncommon to most people, but not unlawful.”
According to the district attorney’s office, Whitmore faces charges including two counts of human trafficking, two counts of pandering, one count of pimping, and four counts of forcible sexual penetration by a foreign object.
Whitmore, who was placed on administrative leave at the college following his arrest on Sept. 7, was initially scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 12, but his attorney requested that the date be pushed back in order to give the defense more time to prepare.
At the Sept. 19 arraignment, Judge Patricia M. Scanlon ordered Whitmore to remain in custody at the Contra Costa County jail in Martinez until his bail hearing on Oct. 9.
Judge Scanlon ruled Whitmore and his attorney would have two months to prepare their case, and set the preliminary hearing for Nov. 20.
Timothy Leong, director of communications and community relations for the Contra Costa Community College District, said on Wednesday that the district did “not have an additional statement following yesterday’s arraignment.”
DVC President Susan Lamb also reiterated, in a letter sent Tuesday to the school’s staff and faculty, that “it is important to respect the nature of due process and the investigation.”
“We need to be patient and allow processes to move forward without making assumptions or contributing to speculation,” Lamb wrote.
Outside the courthouse, Stallworth discussed Whitmore’s character and called on the public to withhold judgment until the trial could prove his client’s innocence.
“He is a good coach, a good instructor, he’s got family and friends that extend across the Bay Area,” Stallworth said. “What everybody needs to do is to be patient, let the court system manage the case, and not jump to conclusions or public opinion.”
He added, “When we get to our preliminary hearing, you’ll be able to see whether or not the accusers are credible or trustworthy.”