Youth baseball coach accused of soliciting prostitution during team trip

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The man who started one of the most successful select baseball clubs in the country, Bandito Baseball Club, was arrested earlier this month.

The club is based in Tomball, but has select teams in Austin, Beaumont, Dallas, and San Antonio. We're told while overseeing teams in a tournament in Waco earlier this month, Ramiro "Ray" DeLeon, was arrested at his hotel room for allegedly soliciting a prostitute.

This was part of a human trafficking sting by the McLennan County Sheriff's Office. One of the detectives on the case tells Eyewitness News DeLeon responded to an ad on backpage.com, told who he thought was a prostitute his room number, and instead of getting a prostitute, he got the cops.

He was released on his own recognizance. In a statement sent to Bandito parents, he said "Unfortunately, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

When we reached out to him, he referred us to his attorney. That attorney says his arrest had nothing to do with human trafficking. He also says there were two or three other guys in the room with DeLeon but that he was arrested because all the communication was on his phone.

We spoke with one parent on the phone who says he's already pulled his son. We tried to speak with the parents who were at the facility Wednesday evening, but they scattered as we approached the property.

Late Wednesday evening, a parent forwarded us an email informing parents that the club facility would be closed for the rest of the week "for the holiday weekend." That parent wonders if media attention had anything to do with it.

Below is the full statement he sent to Bandito Baseball Club parents:

Banditos Baseball Family,

As some of you know, there has been some negative press in the news. Unfortunately, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I have learned a tremendous lesson from this and am in the process of getting things resolved with a favorable outcome. Many people outside of the organization will attempt to exaggerate and attack this event and make it more than it really is. This has caused embarrassment not just to me, but my entire family and the Banditos Baseball Club, as well. However, I would like to thank each of you so much for your continued support. I love being able to help your kids become the best they can in the greatest game ever created.

Ray Deleon