Former Jacksonville baseball coach accused of sex crimes expected in court

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former local youth baseball coach charged with sex crimes against children is expected in court.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Action News Jax told you in January when Julio Acosta Morgado was arrested. Prosecutors say some of the alleged victims were as young as 12 years old.

The alleged crimes happened in November 2023 and the fall of 2020. Today, Morgado is expected to be in court for his final pretrial hearing.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

The former youth baseball coach is facing sex crimes charges involving kids in 2 Florida counties, including here in Duval County where he is being held in jail.

According to the arrest report, his most recent victim said he would train at Morgado’s house on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. The victim said his training sessions normally concluded with a massage.

Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the second incident happened in the fall of 2020 with another victim. It was similar circumstances in which the victim was at the suspect’s home for a training session. The arrest report said the suspect touched the victim inappropriately during the massage.

Read: Police seek other victims of so-called ‘elite’ baseball coach accused of sex crimes

The judge will also decide today whether the prosecution can present previous bad acts to a jury as context for the case. The defense filed a motion to exclude any information about Morgado’s previous bad acts on July 1.

The judge held a Williams Rule Hearing on the matter on July 3 to hear arguments from both sides on the motion. She is expected to give her ruling today.

Jury selection begins next week. Court is expected to start at 9 a.m.

Read: ‘Biggest fear is that there are more victims:’ Former Jacksonville coach charged with sex crimes

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.