Longtime North Beach basketball assistant Kenneth Ray Juarez has been arrested as part of a Grays Harbor County Drug Task Force drug case and charged with violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act with intent to deliver prescription painkillers.

The 58-year-old Juarez had a preliminary court hearing in District Court on Thursday and bail was set at $75,000, said Grays Harbor Prosecuting Attorney Katie Svoboda.

His next hearing is Oct. 26, and the case is being handled by Deputy Prosecutor Jon Beltran. Juarez on Friday was still in the Grays Harbor County Jail

Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Dave Pimentel could not disclose further details about the case, other than to say in an email: “The investigation didn’t involve students but the investigation is ongoing and no further comments can be made at this time.”

A charging document states that Juarez on Oct. 4 violated the controlled substances act with “unlawful possession of Hydromorphone Hydrochloride, a Schedule II controlled substance.” The drug is an opiod narcotic pain reliever prescribed to manage acute and moderate to severe chronic pain.

For the past 25 years, Juarez has been a constant presence on the softball fields and basketball courts throughout the Harbor as a fastpitch softball umpire and basketball coach, serving as the president of the Grays Harbor Officials Association, which handles the recruitment and scheduling of umpires on Grays Harbor.

He had been an assistant basketball coach at North Beach for at least 15 years.

As of Friday, it was unclear if the high school or the school district had been notified of the arrest.