A Texas high school soccer coach found himself in police custody on Dec. 15 after being caught spending five grand at a strip club using a school district credit card.
J.D. Bales, a now former assistant coach at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Texas, went on his spending spree in July at the Men’s Club of Houston, according to the New York Post.
After being booked, Bales posted a $10,000 bond — presumably on his own credit card — and was released. He was indicted in November, but the indictment was sealed until this month.
BREAKING: Former Bridgeport soccer coach J.D. Bales was arrested Friday for theft of property $2,500-$30,000 enhanced. Bales resigned in September after the the district found evidence he used a Bridgeport ISD credit card at a Houston strip club. https://t.co/3F69kKAH5T
— Wise County Messenger (@WCMessenger) December 16, 2023
The former coach resigned his position on Sept. 11 after the $5,455.81 credit card bill came due. The school reported the theft of the district’s money to the Wise County District Attorney for review upon the coach’s resignation. He has been working for the district since 2018.
“[Bales] resigned from both his coaching position and his role as a [special education] teacher at Bridgeport Middle School [Sept. 8],” the district said in a statement. “Superintendent Dr. Amy Ellis confirmed that the decision to accept the resignation is in the best interest of Bridgeport ISD and the athletic program.”
Bales initially told the district that he did not make the expenditure and that it must have been some unknown fraudster who stole the card information. However, investigators found evidence that he was at the strip club on the date of the credit card debits.
“Bales eventually submitted payment for the charge. However, due to the overwhelming evidence in the case (most importantly, the case involved taxpayer money), I believed it was prudent to submit the case to the Wise County District Attorney,” Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford said of the case.
In May, six of his soccer team players were arrested for hazing other students, some as young as 14.
The hazers allegedly forced the students to strip naked and recorded them making demeaning and sexually explicit phrases.
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