Police yesterday arrested a 65-year-old Wahiawa soccer coach on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old player.

The coach, a Wahiawa resident, was booked at the Wahiawa police station on one count of third-degree sexual assault. He remained in police custody last night pending charges.

Police launched an investigation after the 7-year-old boy was diagnosed with a venereal disease. The illness was discovered during a routine examination, police said.

When questioned, the boy said he had been sexually assaulted. Police said the boy then implicated his soccer coach.

Yesterday, officers from the Wahiawa station went to a park in Wahiawa and arrested the coach before a soccer practice.

A police detective with the sex crime detail was questioning the boy and his mother last night. Police were not sure when the alleged sexual assault occurred or if the boy had been assaulted more than once.

A third-degree sexual assault conviction carries a maximum prison term of five years.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.