By Sherry Sturdivant

The News staff writer

The coach of The Woodlands High School Lady Highlanders girls’ softball team and former resident of Port Arthur who disappeared after a warrant was issued for his arrest was found dead in Sabine Pass Thursday night.

Richard Harvey Jorgensen, 54, was discovered dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound around 11 p.m. Thursday night in the 9500 block of South First Avenue in Sabine Pass, Jefferson County Justice of the Peace Brad Burnett said Friday.

According to a statement issued by Montgomery County Precinct 3 office, Jorgensen was wanted in connection with a charge of sexual assault of a child involving a relationship with one of the players on his team.

Jorgensen had disappeared after the warrant was issued earlier Thursday. Port Arthur Police, after searching for several hours, were able to locate his body by using a PING kit, a device that located his cell phone at the remote Sabine Pass location.

According to Burnett, Jorgensen was found in the cab of his truck, deceased from a gunshot wound to the head from a .270 caliber rifle.

Jorgensen is a Thomas Jefferson High School graduate, and is the son of the late Paul Jorgensen, a professional boxer and longtime businessman in the Golden Triangle. Paul Jorgensen was owner of a Jorgensen Distributing Company.

Richard Jorgensen was head softball coach at The Woodlands since the 2004-05 school year and led the Lady Highlanders to the playoffs in each of his 11 seasons at the helm. That includes a 2011 season in which his team won the UIL Class 5A state title and was named as the national champion by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, MaxPreps and ESPN Rise, according to the Montgomery County Courier.