Swim coach knew her boyfriend, also a coach, had sexually assaulted teen, police say

Raleigh couple Nathan Weddle and Shannon Foster worked for several years as youth swim coaches in the area.

That all ended in recent months, starting with Weddle's arrest on Dec. 21, when he was charged with six felony counts of statutory sex offense with a child under the age of 15 and seven more felony counts of indecent liberties with a child.

Investigators on March 13 then charged Foster with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Police accused her of allowing a 14-year-old girl "to be in a place, in a vehicle alone with a person" who she knew was abusing the child.

Investigators think the crimes all happened on Aug. 1, according to arrest warrants.

In a search warrant made public Wednesday, police say Foster, 44, knew that her boyfriend sexually assaulted a teen swimmer. Instead of sharing that information with authorities, Foster called the 14-year-old swimmer and told the child she had "ruined her relationship" with Weddle, 43, and demanded that she stay away from him.

Weddle was the child's year-round swim coach with the Capital Area Swim Team that holds its practices at a pool on Six Forks Road, Det. C.C. Jacobs with the Raleigh police reported in the search warrant.

The teen first told Jacobs about Weddle's alleged sexual assault and inappropriate touching. After his arrest, the teen told the detective that Foster knew about their relationship prior to his arrest.

The teen said Foster knew about a text message with Weddle telling the child "I Love You." The message made Foster "very mad" and she eventually yelled at the child over the telephone, Jacobs reported.

"According to the victim, Shannon told her she has ruined her relationship and the defendant was leaving her for a 14-year-old girl," Jacobs reported.

Soon after police arrested Weddle, investigators discovered a text message exchange between the accused swim coach and Foster.

"Sorry, I wasn't really thinking about the fact I talked to her," Foster reportedly wrote. "Let's remember everything that happened within those 3 days. Us fighting, (victim's name), trying to find a place to live, my car, etc. You haven't been keeping me in the loop about anything for weeks. So WTF!!!"

Weddle served as head coach and Foster as assistant coach with the Capital Area Swim Team. Foster also works as coach for a second team, the Oak City Rays.

Both teams are recognized by USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport.

Foster's bio on the CAST website stated on April 17 that she received a degree in sociology from Illinois State University and worked as a youth intervention case manager, "right out of college."

"I worked with youth that had mental and behavioral disorders, criminal backgrounds before the age of 13, and /or were currently in the Foster Care System," she wrote.

Weddle, on Jan. 24, was placed on USA Swimming's list of permanently banned coaches for violating the agency's SafeSport code. Foster, on April 11, was also placed on the list for the same violations, according to the USA Swimming website.

Websites for the Capital Area Swim Team and Oak City Rays on Wednesday both listed Foster as team coach. Team officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Weddle has been in custody at the Wake County jail since his arrest last year. He is being held under a $5 million bail.

Foster was released from custody one day after her March 19 arrest when she posted a $2,000 bond. She was ordered to have no contact with the victim as a condition of her release from jail.

This story was originally published May 2, 2018 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Swim coach knew her boyfriend, also a coach, had sexually assaulted teen, police say."