A former University of Northern Colorado women’s golf coach was found guilty late last month of inappropriately touching a female student during a lesson in 2023.

A Weld County jury convicted Benjamin Portie, 47, of unlawful sexual contact on Sept. 26, according to a Weld County District Attorney’s Office news release.

The charge is a Class 1 misdemeanor and carries up to 18 months in jail, a $1,000 fine or both. Portie will be sentenced at 3 p.m. Dec. 12 in Division 5 of Weld County District Court.

Portie was the women’s golf coach at UNC from 2017 until he resigned from the program in 2021. He was not employed by UNC at the time of the incident.

The victim, who was a female golfer at UNC, said Portie placed himself behind her during a lesson, pressed his body into her and touched her

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