Out of prison after fatal DUI, basketball coach lands new gig at Fresno County school
Loren LeBeau is returning to the game of basketball, two years after his release from prison.
Immanuel Schools in Reedley announced that LeBeau had been hired as its head girls basketball coach and on-campus teacher.
“We are excited to have Loren LeBeau join our school community,” Superintendent Ryan Wood said in a statement posted by the school’s athletic department on Twitter.
“He has a deep love for the Lord that has been forged through a tragic event in his life. We look forward to Loren using his coaching and life experience to build upon the prior success of our basketball program.”
LaBeau was a known name in Valley basketball, having coached at both Fresno State and Fresno City College as well as several high school programs, including Edison, Clovis West and Central, where he led his team to the Central Section finals.
In 2012, he was arrested and later sentenced to prison time for a DUI crash on Shepherd Avenue in northeast Fresno that killed 7-year-old Donovan Maldonado and injured the boy’s father and sister.
LeBleau fled the scene, though he later returned.
In 2013, LeBeau pleaded no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run causing death and injuries, and drunken driving and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He served seven years before being released in July 2020. He earned the early release through credits for good behavior, attending educational classes and serving in fire camp, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
LeBeau was temporarily resettled in Visalia and given three years probation at the time of his release.
His attorney at the time said the former coach was trying to put his life back together and move forward, which included withdrawing his bid for a new trial, though it could have potentially exonerated him.
“I am humbled that Immanuel has afforded and entrusted me with an opportunity to serve our youth after such a devastating and tragic accident,” LeBeau said in the statement from the school on Tuesday.
“That experience had an immense impact on my life. I have grown in my relationship with Jesus and have a deeper understanding of His grace, forgiveness, and redemption. I am beyond grateful to teach at a school where Christ is the foundation.”
Immanuel is a private school offering Christian-based K-12 education to students in Fresno County and Tulare counties.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 2:14 PM.