South Carolina High School Girls Basketball Coach Accused Of Criminal Sexual Conduct With Player, Sheriff Says

A girls basketball coach in South Carolina is accused of criminal sexual conduct with a player and assaulting another student, authorities said.

According to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, on March 14, two students at Crestwood High School claimed to administrators that they were harassed and assaulted by Tony Wilson, WACH reported.

After a weekslong investigation, Wilson, 54, was arrested and now faces multiple charges, including third-degree assault and battery, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and two counts each of unlawful dissemination of obscene material to a person under the age of 18, and criminal solicitation of a minor.

Citing investigators, WACH reported Wilson allegedly sent text messages and pornographic material to a girl who played on the team he coached and the pair allegedly met up.

"The student was asked to meet,” either in the gymnasium or locker room, “and sexual favors were asked of her and, of course, she refused to do so," Hampton Gardner of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said.

Wilson is also accused of assaulting a male 18-year-old student by allegedly grabbing him by the collar and pulling him toward him, according to Gardner.

The suspect was placed on administrative leave when authorities began looking into the allegations, WACH reported.

After his arrest, Wilson was released on $75,000 bond.