A coach for a private wrestling program in Northern Kentucky has been arrested and charged with child sex abuse related to a 15-year-old girl he coached.
As reported by the Courier Journal of Louisville, Thomas Ketchen-Carter told law enforcement the alleged sexual relationship took place from May to June 2025, when Ketchen-Carter was 22 and the female athlete was 15, according to an arrest warrant included in court records.
"The juvenile stated that they had begun talking about having sex together over Instagram," the arrest warrant states.
Ketchen-Carter, who coached at Spatola Wrestling in Fort Thomas, went to the athlete's house and had sex with her "on multiple occasions in her bedroom when her parents were not home ...," the warrant states, as reported by the Courier Journal.
In a statement on its social media, Spatola Wrestling said:
"Spatola Wrestling has been made aware of the recent arrest of Thomas Ketchen Carter. Effective immediately, he will no longer be utilizing Spatola Wrestling facilities to provide private lessons or assisting in activities with Spatola Wrestling in any capacity.
"The safety and well-being of our athletes is our highest priority. We are committed to maintaining a safe and professional environment for every athlete and family in our program. Out of respect for those involved and the ongoing legal process, we will not comment further at this time."
Court records also state there was a recorded phone call, or a controlled call, between Ketchen-Carter and the minor female athlete he coached, in which they discussed their sexual relationship and where "he admitted that they had vaginal sex at least 15 times at her residence," according to court records.
Per the Courier Journal report, Boone County Sheriff Department arrest citation shows Ketchen-Carter was arrested Feb. 19. Charged with one count of rape and one count of sodomy in the third degree, he was arraigned Feb. 20 and assigned a public defender. His preliminary hearing Friday.
A narrative included in the Boone County Sherriff's arrest citation states that after the recorded call, department detectives then spoke with Ketchen-Carter at his Northern Kentucky residence, where he confirmed to detectives he "had been and still currently is [the athlete's] wrestling coach."
"Educator and coach-related sexual misconduct is the focus of at least six bills filed this session by Kentucky lawmakers, including establishing a definition for sexual grooming, as well as expanding the statute of limitations for child sex abuse claims," Stephanie Kuzydym, an enterprise and investigative sports reporter with a focus on the health and safety of athletes, wrote for the Courier Journal.
In December 2024, the Courier Journal received national recognition for its discovery of at least 80 Kentucky middle- and high-school coaches alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct within the prior 15 years.
