Following years of complaints of misconduct, Peoria, Ariz., police investigated the Sunrise Mountain High School baseball coach, Michael Deardoff. The investigation quietly began in August 2025, after a misconduct complaint surfaced nearly three years after an initial mandatory report. Now, that investigation and its findings are coming to light.
According to The Arizona Republic, the Peoria Unified School District’s compliance coordinator, James Nelson, first reported alleged sexual misconduct in the 2022-23 school year. Despite accounts from several school officials, the police investigation determined that the allegations did not “meet the threshold for criminal charges,” and Deardoff was allowed to return to his position.
Nelson and several other Sunrise Mountain High School coaches and staff members were aware that Deardoff had laid his head on a female student’s shoulder and touched her inner knee as they took a photo together. He had previously assigned this student to be the baseball team photographer. Others alleged Deardoff previously dared female students to preform dangerous stunts, like racing vehicles, and told them they would have to have lunch with him if they lost.
The freshman baseball coach told police that Deardoff’s conduct with the female students is “well known within the high school baseball team’s community.” However, no one had spoken up to police out of fear of retaliation or reprimand. That coach also alleged that Deardoff would not address the issue with him directly as he “had dirt” on the inappropriate behavior.
Deardoff was placed on administrative leave when the investigation began last summer, but he has since returned to work at Sunrise Mountain High School.
The investigation into Deardoff came on the heels of investigations into other Peoria Unified School District employees who had also been accused of inappropriate relationships with students. At least one of those employees did serve jail time.
