UPDATE: Jerry Oubre was released Wednesday from the Ascension Parish Jail on a $95,000 bond.

GONZALES – A volunteer softball coach and religious volunteer is facing serious charges related to molestation allegations.

Jerry Oubre was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail Thursday on sexual battery and indecent behavior with juveniles charges. Both charges are felonies.

Oubre appears to have surrounded himself with children. WBRZ has been able to tie him to a local Catholic church where he volunteered to teach religion and also a softball league, the Lassie League, where he was a coach.

Parents of students who came into contact with Oubre at church were being notified around lunch Thursday of the volunteer’s arrest on charges related to molestation of juveniles, sources told the WBRZ Investigative Unit.

The charges don’t involve any complaints at the church, but church officials said they were making information of the volunteer’s arrest available to parents.  Oubre was a volunteer religion teacher at St. Theresa in Gonzales.  The diocese said it canceled his volunteer work Thursday morning when reached by WBRZ.

"Mr. Oubre has been suspended from his volunteer position at St. Theresa Church Parish and has been forbidden to visit the campus," the diocese said in its message to parents of children associated with the church.  "He has volunteered at St. Theresa Church since 2008 and has always had an aide who teaches with him present during weekly [classes]."

On the softball diamond, Oubre coached for the children's league and was previously highlighted by a community newspaper for a successful season in 2017. Years earlier, Oubre also served as a volunteer boys basketball coach at St. Theresa Middle School from 2008-2009.

The city released a statement about the situation: “The City of Gonzales [Thursday] learned about the arrest of one of our volunteer coaches, Mr. Jerry Oubre. Mr Oubre has coached with the City in the region of twenty years. Due to the nature of the arrest, the City of Gonzales will not be allowing Mr. Oubre to coach or assist in any capacity pending the outcome of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office investigation.”

Oubre, according to records obtained by WBRZ, also works for the state's college tuition management system which ties scholarship and financial aid to high school students as they plan college attendance.  Officials there could not comment on the situation.

On social media, an account purportedly belonging to Oubre identified him as a foster parent and children were recently in his care. 

It appears it may have been the foster care system that initiated the investigation. 

Sheriff's deputies said in a statement the Ascension Parish Sheirff's Office started an inquiry into Oubre on January 16 after "the Department of Children and Family Services contacted detectives after receiving information that Oubre possibly had sexual contact with a juvenile."

Authorities told WBRZ they were still investigating complaints Thursday morning as Oubre was booked into jail.

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