HUNTERSVILLE — School officials alerted parents and students Tuesday after learning that a man who coached girls basketball last season at Christ the King High School had been arrested following child sexual abuse allegations in Ohio.
Jason Paul Dawson, 35, was arrested March 25 and charged with two felony counts of sexual battery involving a minor and one felony count of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, according to Franklin County, Ohio, Municipal Court records.
The allegations stem from his time working as a teacher and coach of the girls basketball team at Worthington Christian School in Columbus, Ohio. According to Ohio police and municipal court records, two female student-athletes allege that Dawson engaged in sexual activity with one of them from 2019 to 2023, and the other from 2020 to 2023. The records say police confiscated cell phone videos and text messages from both victims.
As of March 27, Dawson was being held at the Mecklenburg County Jail, awaiting extradition to Ohio.
After several successful seasons, Dawson left as coach at Worthington Christian School in April 2022 and moved to North Carolina. In a statement, Worthington Christian School said he resigned following “two incidents of employment discipline on matters not related to allegations of criminal activity but clear violations of our policies.”
Dawson worked as a temporary contract coach for the girls basketball team at Christ the King High School for the 2023-24 season. He passed a background check in June 2023 and worked as a coach until March 1, 2024.
Dawson also conducted basketball clinics at St. Mark School in Huntersville for two weeks in late July and early August 2023, school leaders said. St. Mark School alerted parents whose children attended and noted that other adults were present for the two-hour clinics, including personnel from The Carolina Factory (an athlete training facility), varsity athletes from Christ the King, as well as St. Mark parents and volunteers. Dawson worked at The Carolina Factory, which terminated him on Wednesday.
Leaders from both Christ the King and St. Mark schools said they are investigating but are unaware of any issues that occurred during Dawson’s time coaching there.
Christ the King and St. Mark school leaders learned of the arrest on March 26 and notified students and parents that day, as well as met with Christ the King basketball team members to answer questions and offer support.
“Of course we are dismayed to hear this news, but we are committed to supporting our players and keeping the Christ the King community informed,” School President Carl Semmler said Wednesday. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our students, and we will assist in this matter in any way we can.”
— Catholic News Herald