CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A sergeant and counselor at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility who also coaches high school girls’ softball has been placed on administrative leave from the school while the Ross County Sheriff’s Office investigates rape allegations involving a 17-year-old female student he coached, according to police records and people familiar with the allegations.
The investigation stems from a report taken late Saturday night by the sheriff’s office in Huntington Township. The 53-year-old man, a Beaver, Ohio, resident born in 1972, has not been charged, and the sheriff’s office has not released the report or issued any public statement on the case. Currently, no charges have been filed as the case is actively under investigation. As a result, the Guardian is not releasing the man’s name until/if charges are brought.
The alleged assault occurred at a local business near Huntington High School in Ross County, those close to the investigation said. The teenager was reportedly seen crying at school Monday and was released to go home. According to people close to the investigation, she had a large contusion on her head that investigators believe resulted from force used during the alleged sexual assault.
Neither Huntington Local Schools nor the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has released a statement about the man’s employment status. However, school staff members confirmed he has been placed on leave from his assistant coaching position with the Huntington Huntsmen softball team. He previously coached at Eastern Local Schools in Pike County, where he earned a little more than $1,000 in coaching stipends.
At the maximum-security prison in Lucasville, the man works as a sergeant and counselor, earning approximately $76,000 a year. For the first two weeks of April alone, his state pay totaled $4,224.31, according to employment records.
The man also operates a side business involving high-end cars, a hobby reflected across his social media. His Facebook page is filled with dozens of photographs and videos showing him with the 17-year-old student, including images of the two together in various vehicles. Several posts include affectionate “love language” captions and messaging that some observers could classify as disturbing.
The sheriff’s office has not said whether security cameras at the local business or in the surrounding area captured any part of the alleged incident. The matter remains under active investigation, and no additional details about potential evidence or witnesses have been released.