Up to 40 witnesses could take the stand when twin brothers Donnie and Ronnie Stoner, both former Jefferson County Public Schools football coaches, go to trial in February 2027 on a combined 52 charges of child sex abuse spanning nearly two decades. The brothers have pleaded not guilty to allegations involving four alleged victims and conduct stretching from 2005 to 2023 across multiple Louisville schools.
The scope of witnesses expected to testify emerged from attorneys in Jefferson County Circuit Court, where the case is on track for the February trial date, according to WDRB. Donnie Stoner, a former head football coach at duPont Manual High School, faces 35 counts including rape, sodomy, sexual abuse and tampering with evidence. His twin, Ronnie Stoner, a former assistant football coach and safety administrator at Manual, faces 21 counts including incest and unlawful transactions with a minor.
The case began far more narrowly. Donnie Stoner was initially indicted on 20 sex-crime counts involving a 17-year-old student, before a Jefferson County grand jury issued an expanded 52-count indictment in July 2025 that added his brother and Kilgore as co-defendants, according to WDRB. Court documents describe Donnie Stoner touching and kissing the 17-year-old juvenile in his classroom in May 2023, during the brief window when he taught and coached at duPont Manual between May and July of that year. He is also accused, per court documents, of picking up the juvenile and driving her to his home multiple times and of abusing her there.
Allegations Trace Back Two Decades
The alleged abuse is not confined to duPont Manual. Court records indicate the conduct spans an 18-year period from 2005 to 2023 across multiple Louisville institutions where the brothers coached, including Evangel Christian School, Newburg Middle School and duPont Manual, according to reporting from Dear JCPS. One alleged victim has accused both brothers of sexual abuse dating as far back as 2005, when the brothers coached at Evangel Christian and she was a girl on the football team there. That victim said the sexual encounters began when she was 15 years old and reported several instances of abuse over a period of years. Court documents state she was raped by both Stoner brothers and Kilgore together in at least one instance.
Kilgore, a family friend of the brothers, was indicted alongside them in July 2025 and is accused of participating in the rape of that alleged victim when she was 15, per the WDRB report. All four alleged victims attended the brothers' arraignment.
Prior Complaints and District Response
Questions about how JCPS handled earlier warning signs have shadowed the case. District records cited by the Manual RedEye show Ronnie Stoner was subject to at least two internal school district investigations before 2023, including a 2022 complaint regarding a minor, both of which JCPS dismissed as unsubstantiated or inconclusive. The student newspaper also reported that in February 2024, JCPS parents and alleged victims staged protests outside duPont Manual demanding the brothers be removed from district payroll after they were reassigned and were not working with students under district policy while the investigation continued.
According to Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the 2023 Child Fatality and Near Fatality Annual Report recorded one sexual-abuse substantiation associated with a fatality designation and identified 423 victims and 479 perpetrators. Kentucky Department of Education guidance says House Bill 300 amended KRS 161.120 to impose strict timelines on reviewing and processing complaints of educator misconduct.
A parallel civil track has also developed. A civil lawsuit involving the same alleged victim has been reported, according to the Courier Journal. A separate WDRB Facebook post also referenced the civil case.
In a separate Kentucky case, Rowan County schools agreed to pay $3 million in a sexual-abuse lawsuit filed on behalf of a high school athlete, WKYT reported on Feb. 16, 2026.
Judicial Recusal and Bond Dispute
The case has already seen procedural turbulence. In July 2025, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Julie Kaelin recused herself due to a prior legal connection involving an associate of Kilgore, sending the case to Judge Mitch Perry, per Dear JCPS. Judge Perry then placed both men on home incarceration, overruling prosecutors who had sought higher bail and immediate jail custody after the brothers did not promptly surrender following the grand jury's arrest warrants. Louisville Metro Corrections released mugshots of both brothers on July 21, 2025.
More recently, lawyers have discussed discovery involving calls and texts, according to a WHAS11 Facebook post cited alongside the case's broader coverage. The Stoner brothers appeared in Jefferson County Circuit Court for a pretrial hearing and are scheduled to return to court in October.
What's at Stake Legally
Under Kentucky law, First-Degree Rape is a Class B felony punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison per count, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. With Donnie Stoner facing 35 counts and Ronnie Stoner facing 21, the case includes those respective count totals. The counts listed above do not by themselves establish the sentences or registration requirements that would apply.
With trial set for February 2027, up to 40 witnesses could testify. The brothers were placed on home incarceration at arraignment as both the criminal case and the pending civil litigation move forward in Jefferson Circuit Court.
