A 65-year-old soccer coach and foster parent charged with sexually assaulting two boys was arrested again yesterday on suspicion of molesting five other boys over a four-year period.

Frederick N. Rames of Wahiawa was arrested at his Holua Way home and booked yesterday on three counts of first-degree sexual assault, 14 counts of third-degree sexual assault, and four counts of witness tampering.

Rames, who had been free on $150,000 bail, remained in a police cellblock last night pending charges.

The new allegations involve five boys ages 7 to 12 who, police said, were sexually assaulted beginning on July 24, 2002. Police said the alleged victims also reported that they had been contacted by Rames after his Sept. 21 arrest, which led police to arrest him for investigation of witness tampering.

First-degree sexual assault is the most severe of a series of felony offenses that range from inappropriate touching to sexual penetration.

William Harrison, Rames' attorney, last night reiterated previous statements that his client did not sexually assault anyone. Rames is a longtime youth soccer coach and foster parent who is active in community activities.

"What's happened in this case is the police department has gone out and spread rumors and innuendo hoping that people would come out of the woodwork and that (additional allegations) is what generally happens in these kind of cases," Harrison said. "I don't put any stock in these allegations. My client has told me over and over again that he's innocent of these charges and until I see something otherwise, he's innocent of these charges."

Harrison added that he was "totally chagrined at the nature and manner" in which his client was arrested. Harrison said he was never called by police to tell him that Rames would be taken into custody.

"Generally what they do in that situation is to contact counsel that new charges will be brought and if they'd like to bring their client down to the station. We routinely take our clients down to the station on new charges," Harrison said. "Just to not notify us and to go and arrest him shows the misguided zeal of the prosecutor's office and the police department."

Rames was arrested at his home at 8 a.m. yesterday, police said.

Rames was charged Sept. 23 with the third-degree sexual assault of two boys, ages 7 and 12. The younger boy played on a soccer team coached by Rames and the older boy was in Rames' foster care, police said.

An investigation of Rames began after the 7-year-old boy was diagnosed with a venereal disease during a routine physical exam and he later told police that he had been sexually assaulted by his soccer coach. In court documents, the boy said that he was naked in Rames' bedroom and had been touched inappropriately by "Coach Fred."

Harrison maintains that Rames has tested negative for any sexually transmitted disease.

A conviction for third-degree sex assault carries a maximum five years in prison, while the more serious first-degree sexual assault carries a maximum 20 years in prison.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.