Illinois High School Football Coach Placed On Leave, Has Troubled Past

An Illinois high school assistant football coach has been placed on leave by the school district where he works and coaches.

John “Jake” Wakey is the subject of two investigations, one for alleged sexual abuse, as the Carterville High School assistant football coach and teacher faces disciplinary action.

According to a report by Capitol News Illinois, Wakey was suspended for 10 days without pay in 2009 by the Carterville Unit 5 District’s Board of Education. The report states that the district accused him of drinking in front of students before driving to catch a bus headed for a football game where he was to serve as a coach at.

Criminal charges were not pressed at the time on Wakey, who eventually joined the Carterville district in 2003, just days after his court supervision ended for a misdemeanor conviction of providing liquor to minors in Coles County earlier this year. Coles County is roughly 150 miles away from Carterville.

Illinois Assistant Football Coach Being Investigated For Sexual Abuse

More recently, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office opened a criminal sexual abuse investigation into a district employee. It has since been reported that Wakey is the subject of that investigation, with three subpoenas served on the district seeking school records for Wakey and 17 former students.

Fifteen months after the FBI first received a tip accusing an employee of inappropriate sexual conduct involving a former student, Wakey was placed on paid administrative leave. Two additional reports of inappropriate text messages have been made public, with Wakey attached to both.

“We take any allegation involving inappropriate conduct with students extremely seriously, and we recognize the concern this situation has caused for our students, families, staff and alumni,” a letter sent to district parents during a meeting read.

School Working With Sheriff's Office, Illinois State Board On Investigation

Sarah Barnstable, superintendent, and the CUSD Unit 5 Board of Education released a statement saying they are “fully cooperating with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation of this matter” to KFVS12.com.

“We have received and will comply with requests from both the Sheriff’s Office and Illinois State Board (ISBE) for the personnel and disciplinary records of John J. Wakey, who has been employed as a teacher and assistant football coach at Carterville High School since 2003.”

Carterville went 10-1 this past fall, including a 4-0 conference mark. They fell to Sacred Heart-Griffin in the playoffs, 45-15.