Turlock private investigator Kelly Coelho, a declared candidate for Turlock City Council, faces a defamation lawsuit after making public allegations that a substitute teacher assaulted her daughter during a half-day teaching assignment Oct. 22 at Turlock Junior High School.
Vance Yarbrough, who filed his civil lawsuit Dec. 4 in Stanislaus County Superior Court, is seeking monetary and punitive damages of no less than $300,000 for comments made in public and on social media, according to his Stockton-based attorney, Dustin Dyer.
“Ms. Coelho’s statements, knowingly false and misleading, are the subject of our lawsuit,” said Dyer. “Not only is she defaming my client, but she’s promoting attacks on his safety.”
Dyer highlighted two potentially threatening social media posts that were “liked” by Coelho: “POS! I hope this girl know a real (one) that will run up on this pervert" and "if a teacher did that to my daughter and the school and cops did nothing, my wife and I would be waiting by his car when he get off.”
According to the complaint, Yarbrough sought to have Coelho’s daughter removed from class for being disruptive. When the girl attempted to leave the classroom before campus security arrived, Yarbrough blocked the doorway and told the girl she needed to remain in the class. The student alleged that Yarbrough grabbed her around the chest and waist and refused to let her go.
The Turlock Police Department viewed security camera footage and determined that no crime had been committed. Since the incident, however, Coelho has claimed that Turlock PD and the Turlock Unified School District have colluded to cover up the incident — a notion that does not sit well with Police Chief Jason Hedden.
“Making unverified claims in public doesn’t make them true … it makes them irresponsible,” wrote Hedden last month in a reply to social media criticism from Coelho.
Both Coelho and her daughter, Faith Solis, both spoke at the Nov. 4 TUSD board meeting. Solis said she had taken accountability for her actions leading up to the incident but added, “(Yarbrough) putting his hands on me does not take away from what happened or how it affected me. … When did assaults and cover-ups between school districts and police agencies become normalized?”
Coelho addressed the board immediately after her daughter.
“You guys are tired; you guys look horrible up here,” Coelho told board members. “It’s so sad seeing you guys, like, your faces. You guys look so exhausted and tired and absolutely horrible. So, I’m really sorry you guys are under a lot of stress because of all these cases you continue to push under the rug. I’m sure you guys can’t sleep comfortable at night, because I see it on all of your faces.”
Hedden said Tuesday that public criticism is part of the job and he typically doesn’t respond to social media posts. But he felt obliged to stick up for Officer Juan Arroyo, who was the investigating officer.
“It’s frustrating, because we’ve built such a great reputation in the community,” said Hedden. “I couldn’t continue to sit there and watch her bash a good police officer who was simply doing his job.”
Another student in the eighth-grade class, given permission to speak to the Journal by his parent, confirmed that an officer from the Turlock PD came into the classroom and asked each student to write a witness statement — confirming Hedden’s assertion that the his department investigated the claim.
The Journal sought comment from Coelho on Tuesday afternoon, but a message left on her voicemail was unreturned. She told The Modesto Bee on Monday that she’d been advised not to speak about the case, but offered the following comment:
“I categorically deny any wrongdoing and stand by my actions, which were taken out of concern for my child and other children’s safety and well-being in our community,” she said. “I am fully committed to ensuring justice and due process for my family and the other families in our community. I am confident the legal process will address the claims appropriately.”
Coelho, though not yet an official candidate (the filing period for city elections isn’t until summer of 2026), has made known her intention to run for the District 1 council seat, currently held by Councilmember Kevin Bixel.
