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Coach abuse case not about students GRANTS PASS -- A prosecutor says a sexual abuse case involving an assistant Rogue River Middle School football coach has nothing to do with students. The charges against Scott Alan Bushnell stem from allegations made by a teenage girl who was in a foster home operated by the defendant's parents, Josephine County Deputy District Attorney Mike Newman said Wednesday. "It's not a school situation," he said. Bushnell, 34, pleaded not guilty Monday to two felony counts of second-degree sexual abuse. It was his second appearance in the case, which began with a secret indictment that was handed down by a grand jury Sept. 23. Bushnell served as a part-time assistant coach this fall. Superintendent Charles Hellman said school officials never knew about the charges, which were filed after the school year began. "We learned of it only Monday," he said. The football season is over, and "Mr. Bushnell is not an employee (of the school district) in any other capacity." The alleged abuse occurred over a nine-month period that began in October 1998 and ended last summer. The victim was 17 when the abuse began, Newman said. A report Tuesday night by Medford TV station KTVL contained inaccurate information about the case and raised the issue of background checks of school employees, which could not have affected Bushnell's hiring because the charges were filed after the school year started. Bushnell also taught in an alternative school in Grants Pass. The school terminated him after the charges were filed. The alleged victim was not a student at the school. Newman said Rogue River school officials weren't notified because authorities did not know Bushnell was coaching football part-time. "He didn't tell them," Newman explained, "and I didn't know." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA