A North Texas soccer coach, JD Bales, is facing a felony charge after allegedly using a high school credit card at a Houston strip club, racking up charges surpassing $5,000. Bales, a former Bridgeport ISD coach, was arrested in Wise County and faces a third-degree felony charge of theft, with the amount alleged to be stolen ranging between $2,500 and $30,000, , according to the KSAT.
Arrested last week, Bales became a subject of investigation after financial discrepancies surfaced following a trip to The Men's Club of Houston, where he was supposedly attending a coaching clinic, and although he had previously claimed the expenditure to be fraudulent, evidence suggested otherwise, with Chief Steve Stanford noting that "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," as per a statement issued to Wise County Messenger.
The alleged misappropriation of funds marks a low point for the educator, who, along with facing legal consequences, saw six student-athletes from his soccer program arrested on misdemeanor hazing charges earlier this year, involving distressing initiation rituals described by Stanford: "These incidents involved the underclassmen (some as young as 14 years old) being restrained or held down while multiple subjects removed articles of the victim’s clothing, including their pants and underwear," reported by KSAT.
Bales who was hired back in 2018 served as both a coach for the Bridgeport Bulls' soccer team and an assistant for the football team, had submitted his resignation in September, right before the heat of the allegations scorched his standing, with Bridgeport ISD accepting his resignation during a school board meeting, stating the action was "in the best interest of Bridgeport ISD and the athletic program," according to information obtained by the Wise County Messenger.
Following his release after posting a $10,000 bond, Bales now awaits proceedings tied to grand jury indictment last month, however, the details of that indictment remain under seal as stated by the Police Chief.
