Phoenix Sun Enthusiast ‘Mr. ORNG’ High School Basketball Coach Apprehended For Sex Crime Allegations

Patrick Battillo

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office reported that “Mr. ORNG,” a well-known Valley sports enthusiast and coach at Peoria High School, has been taken into custody for alleged involvement in child sex offenses.

The Peoria Police Department received a report on Tuesday morning about a sexual offense investigation involving a staff member at Peoria High School.

According to Peoria PD officials, it was discovered by school administrators that Patrick Battillo, 37, may have offered payment to underage students in exchange for explicit photos and videos.

As part of an inquiry, detectives interviewed those involved and discovered that Battillo had been soliciting videos and photos from underage victims to depict them engaged in sexual activities and in varying degrees of undress.

At Peoria High School, Battillo serves as the volunteer and also holds the position of head coach for the boys’ basketball team.

The suspect was taken into custody in Goodyear and subsequently processed at Maricopa County Jail on multiple counts, which included enticing a minor for sexual exploitation and engaging in child sex trafficking.

Holly Holgate

According to authorities, Holly Holgate, a 46-year-old staff member, was also taken into custody for impeding the investigation and not reporting instances of child abuse or neglect. It is alleged that Holgate warned Battillo, enabling him to flee the school before being apprehended by the police.

For over ten years, Battillo has been attending Phoenix Suns games while donning an all-orange outfit, gaining a following among supporters and even appearing in NBA advertisements and social media content.

Peoria Unified School District issued the following statement regarding the investigation:

“We are aware that two trusted members of our Peoria High School community were arrested last night. We are working to ensure that those who may have been victimized receive the space and care they need, and we are cooperating with Peoria Police Department on their investigation.

Patrick Battillo was the varsity basketball coach and volunteer, but yesterday we were made aware that he may have committed sex crimes involving children. As soon as we became aware of the allegations, we contacted the Peoria Police Department, the Arizona Department of Education and have filed a report with the Department of Child Safety.

Dr. Battillo began coaching basketball in 2019 and completed a fingerprint and background check clearance. Until now, no reports of misconduct have been brought to our attention from parents, students or community members. Peoria Police also arrested Holly Holgate, one of our teachers, for hindering prosecution and failure to report child abuse and neglect. She has been with Peoria High School since 2000 and had an up-to-date fingerprint clearance card.

We have been cooperating with Peoria Police as this is still an active criminal investigation. To preserve the privacy of those who bravely came forward to share what they know, we are not able to provide additional information.”