Ex-North Texas coach gets probation for spending $5K on school credit card at strip club
A former North Texas high school coach was sentenced to five years of probation Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge in connection to the misuse of school district funds, according to Wise County court records.
JD Bales, 37, was also ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 and was placed on deferred adjudication, court records show. The conditions of his probation or community supervision require Bales to perform 240 hours of community service and refrain from alcohol consumption.
He resigned from his position as a soccer coach at Bridgeport High School in September 2023 over accusations he used a school district credit card to spend $5,455.18 at a strip club in Houston, the Wise County Messenger reported. He was arrested in December of that year on a charge of theft of property between $2,500 to $30,000.
Bales said the credit card charges were fraudulent, but evidence collected by Bridgeport police in an investigation showed otherwise, according to authorities.
The former coach paid the district back, but was indicted by a Wise County jury, the Messenger reported.
His arrest came after six of his soccer players were arrested in May 2023 in connection to hazing incidents. The alleged hazing had newer players being held down, undressed by other players, and forced to repeat demeaning statements about themselves, according to the Wise County Messenger.
Bales had coached at the school since 2018, taking the soccer team to the playoffs nearly every season.
