A longtime Nashville Community High School baseball coach is now sitting in a jail cell, facing a slate of serious sex-crime charges that have stunned the small Southern Illinois community.
Authorities say 54-year-old Chad Malawy was taken into custody Tuesday after state prosecutors filed felony sexual assault counts and misdemeanor obstruction charges, according to court records. District officials have placed him on administrative leave, and Malawy is being held in the Washington County Jail while the case moves forward.
KFVS reports that Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office has charged Malawy with one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Prosecutors also say he faces two counts of solicitation to obstruct justice and two counts of attempted obstruction of justice, all classified as misdemeanors. “The trauma experienced by survivors of sexual assault and abuse can leave lasting scars that never fully heal,” Raoul said in a statement.
Charges and Potential Penalties
The attorney general’s filing labels the two sex-assault counts as Class 1 felonies, offenses that can carry prison sentences of up to 15 years, according to RiverBender. The obstruction-related counts are Class A misdemeanors. The case has been filed in Washington County Circuit Court, setting the stage for what could be a lengthy legal fight.
School Response and Court Records
Parents at Nashville Community High School got an early hint that something was wrong in late May. In a May 27 letter, Nashville High School District 99 told families that an employee was under investigation and had been placed on administrative leave, the Belleville News-Democrat reports. The letter did not publicly name the staffer at the time.
Washington County court records now list St. Louis attorney Thomas Matthes as Malawy’s defense lawyer. District officials have said they will cooperate with law enforcement as the case proceeds, a standard line that carries extra weight when it involves a well-known coach at a small high school.
Investigation and Custody
The criminal charges are the result of an investigation led by the Illinois Attorney General’s office and the Nashville Police Department, with forensic support from the Illinois State Police, according to KFVS. Court records show Malawy is being held at the Washington County Jail; the Washington County Sheriff’s Office lists the jail at 245 N. Kaskaskia St. in Nashville, Illinois, on its website.
How to Report Tips
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact Illinois State Police Special Investigator Cloee Frank at 217-843-0347, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. Prosecutors have not released many details about the alleged victim or the specific accusations, offering only the bare minimum as the case gets off the ground.
Background
Malawy is listed on district staff pages as a member of the Nashville Community High School coaching staff, according to the Nashville Community High School website. District leaders have reiterated that they intend to work with investigators as the case winds its way through the Washington County courts.
