A Bridgeport ISD soccer coach and special education teacher has resigned amid allegations that he used a school credit card at a Houston strip club over the summer.
Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford said J.D. Bales, who coached at Bridgeport High School, allegedly used the district credit card and spent $5,455.81 at The Men’s Club of Houston while attending a coach’s clinic in July, The Wise County Messenger reported.
Stanford added that the department was “informed by the district in September that a large amount was charged to the Texas Richmond Corporation, which is the club’s parent company.”
“We then initiated an investigation. [Bales] has repaid the full amount to the district, but we’re still gathering information and conducting interviews,” he added, per The Messenger.
Stanford said he does not believe the district will pursue criminal charges since Bales reimbursed the district for the funds he spent.
BISD confirmed in a statement that Bales submitted his resignation last Friday and that it was accepted by the BISD Board of Trustees during a meeting on Monday night.
“He resigned from both his [high school] coaching position and his role as a teacher at Bridgeport Middle School [Friday] morning,” wrote the district in a statement sent to The Dallas Express.
“Superintendent Dr. Amy Ellis confirmed that the decision to accept the resignation is in the best interest of Bridgeport ISD and the athletic program.”
The district said it will post the job vacancy immediately, adding that it is “actively seeking an interim coach and will notify families once that individual has been named.”
Bales had been the soccer coach at the high school since 2018.
This is not the only time Bridgeport High’s soccer program has made headlines this year. Six students on the team were arrested in May for allegations of hazing.
Stanford said at the time that “several upperclassmen (players) were involved in the hazing initiation of underclassmen, described as ‘de-pantsing.'”
“These incidents involved the underclassmen (some as young as 14 years old) being restrained or held down while multiple subjects removed articles of the victim’s clothing, including their pants and underwear. The victim reported that while in an unclothed state, they were filmed and made to repeat phrases such as ‘I’m your b***h,'” he wrote in a statement, according to a report from The Messenger.
The arrest affidavit from the incident states that the alleged hazing was performed on “all soccer team underclassmen as an initiation,” as reported by The Messenger.
Six upperclassmen from the team were arrested and later released on bond. Stanford said that he believes the cases are still pending.
Ellis addressed the situation in a letter sent to parents, which read, “It is important for each of you to know that we did communicate these allegations with families at BHS when they were reported to us, and we took additional action at that time to support students at BHS,” per The Messenger.
The action mentioned by Ellis included preventative measures that state all sports facilities are to be locked when there is not a staff member present, and students will not be permitted in the facilities without a supervisor.
Additionally, two staff members must be present on team buses when traveling for games. One will drive the bus, and the other must monitor the students’ actions.
“I would like to encourage any students struggling with hazing or bullying to seek guidance from one of our counselors, speak with a trusted adult on campus, and also remember that BISD has an anonymous reporting system on our school websites if they need to report an incident,” added Ellis in the letter, per The Messenger.