Former USA Softball president, East Bay parks official suspected of child sexual abuse

The former president of USA Softball — also a former parks manager in the East Bay — is suspected of sexually abusing a child, authorities said.

Investigators arrested John Gouveia, 61, of Castro Valley, on April 14th on suspicion of eight felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old, according to a statement from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Gouveia posted $250,000 bail and was released after being booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, the sheriff’s office said.

No other details on the status of Gouveia’s case were available immediately Wednesday. The sheriff’s office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday and has not said why it delayed announcing Gouveia’s arrest.

Gouveia worked with USA Softball from 1991 to 2019. Part of that stint was spent as president of the organization, which is the governing body for amateur softball in the United States. The organization’s website says some 2 million people are members, representing some 120,000 teams.

“USA Softball has become aware of allegations against a former volunteer officer,” the organization said in a statement. “The individual has resigned from all positions with USA Softball and currently holds no role or responsibility within the organization.

“After learning of these allegations for the first time through local media outlets, USA Softball has reported the allegations to the U.S. Center for SafeSport and to Sacramento County Child Protective Services. USA Softball has no independent knowledge of the allegations and is aware only of the information that has been released in local media stories.”

Gouveia also worked for 25 years with the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, including a stint as its general manager. He retired in 2016.

According to the sheriff’s office, the victim that Gouveia is suspected of harming was not associated with USA Softball or the park district.

“The alleged conduct is contrary to and not aligned with USA Softball’s mission and core values, which include developing and administering the sport while providing the best possible experience for all those involved with the game of softball,” USA Softball said in its statement.

No other information was available immediately.

Please check back for updates.