Louisiana Private School Rocked by Investigation After 3 Arrests; Head Coach Reportedly Placed on Leave

Hamilton Christian faces mounting fallout from alleged hazing-related sexual assaults as administrators are charged, the undefeated football team loses its head coach, and top players prepare to leave

Dexter Washington has been the football and basketball coach at Hamilton Christian School in Lake Charles / Hamilton Christian School Facebook

The fallout continues at Hamilton Christian School amid an investigation in sexual assaults between students that resulted in the arrest of three employees.

Ray Butler, who oversees the Louisiana High School Sports Facebook page that has over 70,000 followers, reported on Wednesday that head football/basketball coach Dexter Hamilton had been placed on administrative leave less than 48 hours before the undefeated Warriors were set to host St. Frederick from Monroe in a second-round LHSAA Division IV select playoff game.

NOTE: Thursday night, Butler stated on the social media platform X that he had been contacted and told that Washington was not on leave, and that he would face potential legal action if Wednesday's post was not deleted.

On Friday, after Hamilton's administrative leave was confirmed, he decided to resign from his positions at the school.

Hamilton Christian athletic director, coach resigns after being placed on leave https://t.co/OMjySiqRu2 pic.twitter.com/VhL6mYdZ03

— KPLC 7 Sports (@KPLC7Sports) November 21, 2025

Three Arrests by Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office

Earlier this week, principal Morgan Daugherty, assistant coach Dominique Washington and employee Stacy Bargeman were arrested after a months-long investigation.

Daughterty and Washington were accused of attempt to cover-up information "from day one," per a statement from law enforcement following the arrests. Neither Daugherty nor Washington were listed among parish inmates in custody today. Their bonds had been set at $1.15 million. Daugherty is still listed on the Hamilton Christian website as the principal. She was terminated and Washington resigned.

Dexter Washington, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, is also the school's athletic director. He is the father of Dominique Wasington, who had been on the coaching staff for more than a decade.

What's Behind the Investgation?

The exact details remain murky, but multiple sources stated that the sexual assaults involved athletes on the football team with hazing as the motive.

Chris Rideau, who played on last season's state championship basketball team and was a top receiver for junior quarterback Javon Vital, recently transferred to Barbe High, which upset Northwood-Shreveport last week in the Division I playoffs.

Barbe is a Class 5A school in the state's largest tier of enrollment. Hamilton Christian has thrived in athletics despite a small enrollment of 94 students, which made it the second-smallest football-playing school in Louisiana this season.

Alex Newell of Louisiana Sportsline wrote earlier this week that Vital, who is rated four stars by the 247Sports Composite and the No. 13 junior in Louisiana, will not be at Hamilton Christian next year. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder has the same state ranking from Rivals, which projects him as a running back. He's listed as a receiver by 247.

Last year, Vital was listed as one of the state's top underclassmen by High School on SI. He was expected to commit to LSU in mid-October but postponed an announcement until after the season.

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