MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The man who accused former Memphis Tigers basketball coach Josh Pastner of sexually assaulting his girlfriend is now behind bars in Arizona.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ron Bell was arrested as a fugitive from justice out of Georgia. He was taken into custody in Pima County, Arizona and is being held without bond.
Details about the specific charges have not been released.
In November, Bell told reporters he gave two Georgia Tech players some added benefits that violated NCAA rules. Pastner knew about the violations, he claimed.
In a December phone call with NCAA investigators, Bell told them Pastner had also sexually assaulted his girlfriend.
Several weeks later, Pastner filed a civil lawsuit against Bell for defamation, extortion and fraud, which was met with a counterclaim from Bell on the sexual assault allegations.
The alleged attack reportedly happened in February 2016, when Pastner was still with the University of Memphis.
The former coach adamantly denied the allegations.
In a statement released by his attorney, Pastner said the woman continued to initiate contact with Pastner and his wife, visiting their home and giving gifts to their children for two years after the alleged assault.
He called Bell “a career criminal” who concocted the complaint “as a last-ditch effort to continue an extortion and blackmail scheme that failed.”
