Phoenix Suns superfan 'Mr. ORNG' accused of child sex crimes | Crime Files
PEORIA, Ariz. - A man who is well-known by Phoenix Suns fans has been arrested for child sex crimes.
The 37-year-old man was booked into Maricopa County jail for two counts of sex crimes, Peoria Police confirmed to FOX 10. He is being held on a $100,000 bond.
Here are the details in the case.
Who's the suspect?
Court documents identified the suspect as Patrick Battillo, 37.
According to investigators, Battillo is a varsity basketball coach at Peoria High School. Detectives said he had served in such role for five years.
What allegedly happened?
Investigators say on April 9, a 15-year-old male disclosed to school staff members that Battillo had been messaging him, soliciting video that depicted the teen in various sexual acts and in various states of undress. This was reported to the school's administration.
"[Battillo] told [the victim] that he has sold this unknown older woman videos of himself, and added [the victim] could also make money by sending this unknown woman, and in return, [Battillo] would send [the victim] money via Cash App," read a portion of the court documents.
Per investigators, the victim said the revelation by Battillo "weirded him out."
"[Battillo] asked [the victim] if he was interested and would tell this lady that [the victim] was 19 years old due to [the victim] actually being 16 years old," read a portion of the court documents.
Battillo, the court document states, continued to message the victim to convince him, after the victim initially said he was not sure.
"[The victim] ended up agreeing to send videos depicting himself doing sex acts," read a portion of the court documents.
Investigators stated that according to the victim, he went onto a social media platform to get a couple of video that depicted sexual acts, and sent them to the suspect via Snapchat. The suspect later replied and said the woman he mentioned wanted to see the victim's face, which the victim was not willing to do so. The suspect then asked the victim for more video of himself, and even asked the victim to send video of him and his juvenile girlfriend.
Eventually, however, detectives stated that the victim came to believe that the woman, as described by Battillo, was not real, and the teen's suspicion was reportedly confirmed during a basketball game, when the victim sent a message to the woman via Snapchat.
"Once the message was sent, [the victim] looked over to [Battillo]," read a portion of the court documents. "[The victim] observed [Battillo] look at his Apple Watch notifying him of a notification. [Battillo] then took his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at his cell phone. [Battillo] began typing on his cell phone, and [the victim] looked at his cell phone and saw that he was receiving a message from the unknown lady."
According to police, the victim later decided to message Battillo to gather evidence.
"[The victim] messaged [Battillo] that he was ready. [Battillo] did not believe [the victim] because he had not actually sent any videos. [The victim] asked [Battillo] what he wanted [the victim] to send," read a portion of the court documents.
Battillo, per investigators, responded to the victim's questions by requesting a number of videos showing the victim performing sexual acts, with the victim's face visible. Court documents contain graphic descriptions of the requests, as well as text conversation between the victim and Battillo that also contain graphic language.
Investigators stated that Battillo left school grounds after he was informed of what the victim disclosed. The person who allegedly informed Battillo was identified in court documents as 46-year-old Holly Jean Holgate.
Court documents for Holgate show the woman, who was arrested on April 9, has worked at the school for 23 years. Court documents also state that Holgate is a teacher for a program that specializes in assisting at-risk children, and that Battillo was also a volunteer teacher for that same program.
"When confronted about [Holgate] being a mandated reporter, she advised she felt like she did report the incident by sending the children to the office. [Holgate] also stated she did not know why she notified [Battillo] of the investigation, other than it was haste decision," read a portion of Holgate's court documents.
Detectives state, in Battillo's court documents, that they later interviewed two students, identified as a 15-year-old male and a 16-year-old male, who detailed their encounters with Battillo.
In the case of the 15-year-old, he said that Battillo messaged him inappropriately after Battillo left a reply to a story the teen posted on Snapchat. In the case of the 16-year-old, the teen told detectives that the suspect asked him if he had any video that depicts him performing a sexual act with his girlfriend.
Battillo, according to court documents, was later interviewed by police after they read Battillo his Miranda rights.
"When I began asking [Battillo] questions about his involvement with children, he started to become defensive," a detective wrote in the court documents. "At this point in the interview, [Battillo] invoked his rights."
Battillo was arrested on April 9 in Goodyear.
What is Battillo being accused of?
Patrick Battillo, a 37-year-old man who is known as Phoenix Suns superfan "Mr. ORNG," was arrested for sex crimes, Peoria Police said.
Court documents for Battillo state that he is being accused of one count of luring a minor for sexual exploitation (A.R.S. 13-3554) and a count of child sex trafficking (A.R.S. 13-3212A1), all felonies.
A judge has set a $100,000 bond for Battillo, and should he make bond, he will be subjected to a number of restrictions, including electronic monitoring, curfew, and a ban on any contact with minors.
A preliminary hearing for Battillo has been scheduled for April 18.
What about Holgate?
Holly Holgate (Courtesy: Peoria Police Department)
Holgate, who police said also goes by the alias "Holly Jean Holgate Kreiger," is accused of hindering prosecution in the first degree (A.R.S. 13-2512A) and failure to report the neglect of a minor (A.R.S. 13-3620A), all felonies.
A judge has set a $25,000 for Holgate, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April 18.
What are school officials saying about the incident?
Peoria Unified School District officials have issued a statement on Battillo and Holgatge's arrests. The statement reads:
"We are aware that two trusted members of our Peoria High School community were arrested last night. We are working to ensure that those who may have been victimized receive the space and care they need, and we are cooperating with Peoria Police Department on their investigation.
Patrick Battillo was the varsity basketball coach and volunteer, but yesterday we were made aware that he may have committed sex crimes involving children. As soon as we became aware of the allegations, we contacted the Peoria Police Department, the Arizona Department of Education and have filed a report with the Department of Child Safety.
Dr. Battillo began coaching basketball in 2019 and completed a fingerprint and background check clearance. Until now, no reports of misconduct have been brought to our attention from parents, students or community members. Peoria Police also arrested Holly Holgate, one of our teachers, for hindering prosecution and failure to report child abuse and neglect. She has been with Peoria High School since 2000 and had an up-to-date fingerprint clearance card.
We have been cooperating with Peoria Police as this is still an active criminal investigation. To preserve the privacy of those who bravely came forward to share what they know, we are not able to provide additional information.
The safety and well-being of our students is paramount. Should a student need someone to talk to about what they are feeling, we will have our social worker and members of our counseling team available. The Peoria Police Department is encouraging those with information in this case to reach out to them through the Tip Phone Line: 623-773-7045 or via e-mail: PDTips@peoriaaz.gov."