On Tuesday, the attorney general of Rhode Island charged Clark Donatelli, the former coach of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, with four counts of second-degree sexual assault.
He pleaded not guilty in Providence County Superior Court on Wednesday. He was released on $10,000 bail before his trial and will not have to contact his alleged victim, who has been identified as a 46-year-old woman.
If there is no link in the attorney general’s statement, Donatelli is also the target of a civil lawsuit brought by Erin Scaldi, the wife of his former deputy penguin named Jarrod, for sexual assault. As this lawsuit also targeted, the Pittsburgh Penguins and their owners recently reached an out-of-court settlement.
Donatelli allegedly assaulted Erin Scaldi in the back seat of a car during a team trip. The alleged victim was said to have been touched.
According to the Rhode Island Penal Code, a person is charged with second-degree sexual assault when they engage in acts of a sexual nature against a victim unable to defend themselves, use force or act as part of a medical consultation. If convicted, Donatelli will spend three to 15 years behind bars on each count.
