A former Texas middle school soccer coach is accused of felony theft by misusing a district credit card to pay thousands of dollars at a strip club.
Former Bridgeport Bulls soccer coach JD Bales was arrested Dec. 22 on on a grand jury warrant, accused of of theft of property valued at $2,500 to $30,000, which is a third-degree felony, the Wise County Messenger reported.
In September, Bales resigned after the district found evidence that he used a Bridgeport Independent School District credit card at a Houston strip club in July.
Bales was apparently indicted last month, but the indictment remained sealed as of late December, the newspaper reported.
In September, Bridgeport police chief Steve Stanford told the Messenger Bales is accused of charging $5,455.81 on a district credit card at The Men’s Club of Houston while attending a coaching clinic.
Following the investigation, Stanford said the case was submitted to the Wise County District Attorney for review and potential indictment.
“During the investigation, which included information that Bales had formerly claimed the charge was fraudulent (with both the school and the financial institution), investigators discovered evidence indicating a criminal offense occurred,” Stanford said in a written statement, as reported by the Messenger. “…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.”
Bales was released Dec. 23 after posting a $10,000 bond, according to Wise County Jail records, the Messenger reported.
Bridgeport ISD accepted Bales’ resignation at the district's mid-September school board meeting.
In a statement from the district obtained by the Messenger on Sept. 11, BISD said it had been investigating "allegations of misconduct regarding the use of district funds."
“[Bales] resigned from both his coaching position and his role as a [special education] teacher at Bridgeport Middle School [Sept. 8],” the statement said.
Bales was hired in 2018 and led the Bulls’ soccer program, and served as an assistant football coach.
The investigation followed alleged hazing issues within the soccer program that led to the arrests of multiple Bridgeport student athletes earlier this year.
During the 2023 playoffs, the Bulls soccer program was being investigated by the Bridgeport Police Department and Bridgeport district. In May, six students were arrested on the Class B misdemeanor charge of personal hazing, which was alleged to have taken place between October of 2022 and March of 2023, according to the Messenger report.
