Girls basketball coach at Midlands high school arrested, facing numerous charges
A now-former Midlands girls high school basketball coach has been arrested and faces a host of charges, including assault and some counts of a sexual nature.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said in a Thursday news release that Crestwood High School girls basketball coach Tony Wilson, 54, had recently been arrested. The sheriff’s office said Wilson has been charged with third-degree assault and battery, criminal sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of unlawful dissemination of obscene material to a person under 18, and two counts of criminal solicitation of a minor.
The sheriff’s office said in the release that arrest warrants were issued for Wilson on April 4 and he was arrested on April 6. He was taken to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center and was later released on a $75,000 bond, the sheriff’s office said.
A Sumter County School District spokeswoman said Thursday that Wilson resigned on April 6.
Administrators at Crestwood informed the sheriff’s office in mid-March that they had received a report that two students alleged they had been “harassed and assaulted” by the suspect, the sheriff’s office said in the release. Wilson was placed on administrative leave, and an investigation began.
The sheriff’s office said it launched into a weeks-long, in-depth investigation. Authorities also say there were “extensive efforts” to determine whether any other victims were identified.