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100 interviewed in sexual abuse probe of ex-coach, -editor
By Ed Runyan
JEFFERSON
The Ashtabula County sheriff says his detective bureau and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation have interviewed more than 100 people while investigating allegations of gross sexual imposition and child abuse by a former Jefferson Area Schools coach.
One reason the investigation has grown so large is that news generated by charges filed so far has led to an unspecified number of people coming forward to give other information to examine, said Sheriff William “Billy” Johnson.
“People have come forward. One thing leads to another,” Johnson said.
The investigation began with questions about text messages former coach Don McCormack purportedly sent to a female Jefferson High School student earlier this year.
That led to an investigation of allegations by another female Jefferson student dating back to 1999 and four felony charges against McCormack.
During the time frame being investigated for his activities as coach, McCormack also was the longtime sports editor of the Ashtabula Star Beacon. The newspaper fired him after his arrest in August. He was charged with three counts of gross sexual imposition and one of child abuse.
They could result in probation or up to several years in prison if he’s convicted. McCormack was not required to enter a plea, since they were felony charges being handled in municipal court. He waived a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Eastern County Court here, and the case was bound over to the Ashtabula County grand jury for possible indictment.
Johnson said the investigation into McCormack and other information authorities have received is far from complete.
“We interviewed over 100 people. We’re working on it every day,” he said.
The sheriff would not discuss what type of allegations have come up as a result of the investigation — but agreed it has branched out beyond McCormack.
He said it’s too early to guess whether it will result in additional charges against McCormack or anyone else.
“Anyone whose name comes up, we’re looking into it,” he said, explaining that some individuals are “automatically on our radar,” such as various school officials because of McCormack’s connection to the school district.
Johnson said that as soon as all leads have been investigated, the information will be turned over to the Ashtabula County Prosecutor’s Office, and presumably that information will be presented to a grand jury.
McCormack worked 28 years at the Star Beacon, including the past 16 years as sports editor, until he was fired after his Aug. 18 arrest. McCormack, 51, of Jefferson, is free on bond.
Neil Frieder, the newspaper’s editor, said in a Star Beacon story last month that the newspaper contacted the sheriff’s office with its concerns about McCormack.
The newspaper announced Wednesday the resignation of publisher Jim Frustere, who said he was stepping down for medical reasons. Frustere had been publisher since 2007 after joining the Star Beacon as its business manager in 2004.
For many years, McCormack coached girls junior varsity basketball and softball. He also coached tennis and for the past two seasons was head softball coach. His license to coach has been revoked.
Jefferson, a village of 3,088 people in Ashtabula County, is the county seat and home to the common pleas court, county jail and sheriff’s office.
Jefferson has a police department, but the sheriff’s office is conducting the investigation. When asked why, Johnson said the sheriff’s office’s jurisdiction is countywide, and the department responded to “calls from people who wanted us to look into it.”
John Montanaro, who is starting his second year as superintendent of Jefferson Area Schools after having served in other roles in the district for about six years, said he is aware of only one other adult before McCormack who has been in legal trouble for improper conduct with students.
Ritch Nasca, then a high school teacher and wrestling coach in the school district, was sentenced to one year in prison in 2005 after being convicted of sexual battery for improper sexual conduct with a male student.
“We had no idea of anything,” Montanaro said of the allegations from 1999 and 2000 that led to the charges against McCormack.
As to whether a pattern of sexual abuse by adults against students exists in the school district, Montanaro said: “That’s a stretch of a story to say it’s a pattern. We’ve never had any complaints until June.”
The school district issued a statement Aug. 19, saying McCormack resigned his supplemental coaching contract with the district June 9, “in the face of a developing investigation by the district into an inappropriate written comment he made to a student using social media.”
The statement added, “Prior to this incident and until certain individuals recently came forward to local authorities, we were unaware of any claims of sexual misconduct against any current or former students of Jefferson Area Schools and we have offered our fullest cooperation with the criminal investigation and prosecution.”
Pat Inman, school board president, said Wednesday the McCormack matter is “the only incident I was aware of.”
OTHER INCIDENTS
There have been several recent cases involving sex between teachers or coaches and students.
Martina Stanley, 35, of LaRue was sentenced to 15 days in jail and a year of probation in June after admitting to having sex with a 17-year-old student while employed as a track and cross country coach at Elgin High School in Marion County, according to a New York Daily News report.
WBNS-TV reported that Stanley knew the boy as her neighbor but had no connection to him as a coach or teacher at Elgin.
Toledo Scott High School basketball coach Chris Dames, 34, was suspended last week after being accused of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student who graduated earlier this year. The Blade of Toledo said school district records claim Dames committed sexual battery.
No charges had been filed as of Wednesday. The Blade reports that Dames was issued a marriage license in Lucas County and plans to wed Kierra Nakevia Gibbs, 18.
Former Bay High School junior varsity basketball coach Kevin Fillinger was charged with sexual battery in July after being accused of having sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl.
The school, located in the Cleveland suburb of Bay Village, notified police in December that officials believed Fillinger, 26, had made inappropriate comments to students via text messages and on Twitter, according to a July story in The Plain Dealer.