Prep coach indicted on charges of failing to report abuse

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) A Tennessee high school basketball coach has been indicted on four counts of failing to report child sexual abuse of high school basketball players by teammates, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The Hamilton County district attorney's office announced in a release that a grand jury indicted Ooltewah High School basketball coach Andre Montgomery this week. Hamilton County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Melydia Clewell said Montgomery's indictment was unsealed early Wednesday afternoon.

Failure to report child sexual abuse is a Class A misdemeanor.

Gatlinburg police have charged three Ooltewah players with the aggravated rape of one player. Police say the boy required emergency surgery after they held him down and assaulted him with a pool cue at a Gatlinburg cabin Dec. 22 while the team was participating in a holiday tournament.

The Hamilton County district attorney's office has said four players were ''subjected to apparent sexual assault'' during that December trip.

Montgomery, assistant coach Karl Williams and athletic director Allard Nayadley were charged in January with failing to report child sexual abuse. Nayadley has agreed to a pretrial diversion program that includes 10 hours of community service and a class on mandatory reporting. If Nayadley complies with the terms of the agreement, the case can be removed from his record after six months.

Tennessee law requires school officials to report any suspected child sexual abuse to the state Department of Children's Services, to the sheriff or police chief where the children reside or to the juvenile court with jurisdiction over them. The Ooltewah officials instead took the child to a hospital and contacted police in Sevier County, where the alleged incident took place.