Parents at Walled Lake’s Clifford H. Smart Middle School say they only found out that a volunteer wrestling coach facing felony sex charges had been working with students when a mugshot started ricocheting around social media. Only after that online uproar, they say, did they hear from the district, which has now removed the volunteer from the program and barred him from school property. The criminal case ties back to an alleged March 2024 incident in Waterford Township, with the accused due back in court in April.
Dorien Jackson, 22, of Warren, was taken off the wrestling program after being charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving alleged use of force, according to court records that also required HIV testing, as reported by ClickOnDetroit. Prosecutors filed the charges in January 2025 in connection with the March 2024 incident in Waterford Township. Court filings and broadcast reporting indicate that Jackson’s next hearing is scheduled for April 6, 2026.
"That means there's been penetration, and that the person that was penetrated has the risk of having a sexually transmitted disease," Lillian Diallo, president of the Wayne County Criminal Defense Bar, told ClickOnDetroit, explaining the implications of the charge and the HIV-testing requirement. Sources told the station that Jackson was still attending wrestling events with minors into late January 2026 and that on Jan. 23, he told another coach he would miss an invitational to prepare for a court hearing. Police declined to release the full incident report, citing privacy rules and protections for juvenile victims.
District response
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools’ public materials stress student safety and list Clifford H. Smart Middle School among the district’s buildings, with contact details on the school’s site (Clifford H. Smart Middle School). Parents say that safety message rang hollow when their first real alert was a mugshot on their phones rather than an official notice in their inboxes. District officials have said they are taking the matter seriously, intend to cooperate fully with law enforcement, and will handle any related personnel or safety issues as the legal case moves ahead.
Legal stakes
Third-degree criminal sexual conduct is a felony in Michigan that can carry up to 15 years in prison, along with sex offender registration and ongoing monitoring if there is a conviction, according to the statute text on the Michigan Legislature. The law spells out the elements of the offense and the sentencing range that Jackson could face if found guilty.
Separate child-protection laws control how cases involving minors are handled and who gets notified when, and they help explain why investigators are staying tight-lipped. Confidentiality and disclosure rules in Michigan’s Child Protection Law are detailed on the Michigan Legislature site, including provisions that limit public release of reports when juvenile victims are involved.
What’s next
Jackson is scheduled to return to court on April 6, 2026, facing a potential 15 year maximum sentence if convicted on the third-degree charges. In the meantime, parents and coaches in Walled Lake are pushing the district for clearer volunteer screening practices and faster notification anytime someone working around students turns up in a criminal case. District leaders say they will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as the case moves through the courts and that they are reviewing procedures tied to student safety and communication with families.
