Officials from Gwinnett County Public Schools held a news conference to announce that a former coach has been charged in a case involving the track and field booster club at Parkview High School. They said the charge came at the end of a months-long investigation into money that had been donated to the club. According to the officials, a warrant was taken out on August 4 and the suspect turned himself in on August 5, after declining to be interviewed by investigators.
Officials said the case began when people came forward with concerns that money was not being spent where they had been told it would go. The funds were supposed to support the students and athletes, on things such as jerseys and equipment, but those who raised the alarm believed the money was not going to those areas. They took their concerns to the school district, and when it emerged that there were issues that could be criminal in nature, the school police were notified.
As soon as they learned about the allegations, officials said, they immediately took action rather than waiting. They launched an internal audit of the organization and, at the same time, contacted law enforcement. That combined effort led to the completion of the investigation and to the charging of the suspect, whom officials described as a former coach who had been in that role for a long time.
According to officials, the former coach resigned from his position in November of 2025, while the investigation was still under way. They said that at this time there are no charges against anyone else in the case, though investigators were asked whether other people who may have had access to the account could also be responsible. The suspect, officials said, did not want to be interviewed, which is why a warrant was issued before he turned himself in.
The interim chief of the school police, Mary Williford, said officials were made aware of the inappropriate use of funds in October of last year and began investigating immediately. She said the inquiry ended up covering incidents going back as far as 2018 and that the total taken came to approximately 65,000 dollars. That figure was higher than an amount of about 25,000 dollars originally given, with officials explaining that financial-crime cases grow as multiple search warrants uncover new areas.
Investigators described how the money was taken. According to a lieutenant over the investigators, the former coach used a debit card tied to the booster account, as well as a checkbook for that account, and spent the funds for personal reasons. Those included things such as travel and subscriptions to services, among other expenses. Officials confirmed that, so far, the money has not been returned.
Officials stressed that this was not school district money, since booster clubs are third-party non-profit organizations that the district does not run. Even so, Greg Johnson, the district's Executive Director of Budget Strategy and Risk, said the district already has accounting and documentation requirements for booster clubs, and that had those requirements been followed by the track and field booster club, the situation likely would not have occurred. He said the district, working with its Employee Relations, internal audit and police departments, expanded its audit to additional booster clubs and is focused on increasing oversight so those requirements are actually met.