Camarillo tennis coach Gary Larson arrested for arranging to meet a child for lewd acts and the possession and distribution of child pornography

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – Gary Larson, 67, of Camarillo was arrested for arranging to meet with a minor for sex as well as the possession and distribution of child pornography earlier this year.

Larson advertised "tennis lessons for juveniles" on Craigslist, taught private tennis lessons, and was involved in coaching youth soccer and the investigation into his actions involving children remains under investigation with the potential for additional survivors to come forward shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office in a press release Monday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Nicole Adrianzen at 805-494-8229 or through email at [email protected]. Callers can report their information while remaining anonymous.

On Feb. 8, 2025, deputies were dispatched to the Target at 2705 Teller Road in Newbury Park for a possible crime involving children stated the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies arrived at the scene and spoke with members of the 'Predator Poachers' -a non-law enforcement organization based out of Texas that conducts sting operations on adults seeking sexual activities with children nationwide- who were speaking with 67-year-old Gary Larson at the scene detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Members of the independent organization relayed to responding deputies that they believed Larson had been communicating with one of their team members disguised as a 13-year-old girl explained the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Larson admitted during the initial investigation by law enforcement that he had had sexually explicit conversations with female juveniles about sex acts he intended to engage in with them and that he had sent explicit photographs to one of the children noted the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, the East County Major Crimes Sexual Assault Unit conducted an extensive investigation and found that Larson was in possession of child sexual abuse material, was active in multiple group chats on messaging applications, and had traded sexually explicit videos and images involving children.

The 67-year-old Camarillo resident was arrested and booked at the Ventura County Main jail on the following charges:

• PC 288.3(a)-Communicating with a Minor to Commit a Sexual Offense
• PC 288.4(b)-Arranging a Meeting with a Minor for the Purpose of Lewd or Lascivious Acts
• PC 311.11(a)-Possession of Child Pornography
• PC 311.1(a)-Distribution of Child Pornography

On Feb. 11 of this year, Larson posted his $100,000 bail shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

In late February of this year, a 12-year-old girl and her mother reported to a deputy at the Thousand Oaks Police Station about a possible crime involving Larson and the child who had been getting tennis lessons from Larson for over a year stated the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Based on the reported information, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office shared they believed that Larson was grooming the girl by building trust and an emotional connection he intended to exploit to abuse her.