FORNEY, Texas — Former long-time athletic coordinator and head football coach at Forney High School, Kevin Rush, turned himself into the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office this morning on an arrest warrant for failing to report, a class A misdemeanor.
FORNEY, Texas — Former long-time athletic coordinator and head football coach at Forney High School, Kevin Rush, turned himself into the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office this morning on an arrest warrant for failing to report, a class A misdemeanor.
The charge stems from a 16-month investigation, which remains ongoing, into hazing and sexual assault on the Forney High Shcool boys soccer team. By law, Rush and other district and campus officials who knew of allegations of hazing and sexual assault involving members of the boys soccer team had 48 hours to report those allegations to law enforcement.
A month ago, former Forney High School soccer coach Kris Duplissey was arrested on the same charge. Six former players had previously been arrested in the case, some of which were juveniles, on charges for sexual assault.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, obtained by inForney.com, allegations of hazing and sexual assault on the boys soccer team surfaced in January 2017. Later that year, several parents reported the hazing to Duplissey.
When allegations again surfaced in January 2018 through a "parent contact" with the district's Human Resources Department, Forney ISD Athletic Director Ivy "Neal" Weaver instructed Rush to pull Duplissey and investigate, according to the affidavit. That parent contact was determined to be on January 9, 2018.
Duplissey, at the time, provided Rush with a documentation detailing a timeline of the allegations and the actions taken or punishments. This documentation was forwarded to several district officials.
Days later, on January 12, 2018, while at a basketball game, Rush told investigators he was approached by one of the soccer players who reported he had been hazed. A text message the next day between the student and Rush named several soccer players who had all since been arrested in the case, according to the affidavit.
"It is evident that the defendant [Rush] knew of 'hazing' in the FHS Boys Soccer program as early as January 10, 2018, based on Duplissey's handwritten document 'Hazing in Soccer at FHS' and text messages, interviews of players," reads the arrest warrant affidavit.
The Kaufman County Sheriff's Office wasn't made aware of the allegations until Wednesday, January 17, 2018.
In February, investigators executed a search and seizure warrant at Forney ISD facilities for the office, computers, and phones of Forney High School Principal Steven Whiffen, Forney High School Assistant Principal Tim Cook, Rush, and Duplissey.
The following month, the district announced Whiffen and Rush were transferred, Cook retired, and Duplissey resigned.
In response to a request for comment on Tuesday morning, the district stated they were unaware of Rush's arrest as he is no longer employed by the district. Most recently, Rush served in a facilities capacity at City Bank Stadium.
The district referred inForney.com to a previous statement released after the arrest of Duplissey:
“We appreciate the work of the Kaufman County Sheriff's Department for continuing to work toward closure of this situation. In light of the pending investigation by the Sheriff’s Office, the District has not had an opportunity to conduct its own investigation, nor has the District been provided with any specific details or findings resulting from the investigation.
Despite having minimal information regarding the allegations or the investigation, the District immediately took action to address the concerns that the employees originally reported to the Sheriff’s Office. Upon district administration learning of these concerns, the FISD Athletic Department immediately implemented heightened safety and supervision procedures for all athletic teams and groups, which are still in effect today.
We understand that this ordeal has caused a great deal of heartache and pain within our community. Forney ISD recognizes our community is ready to move beyond this difficult experience, and we are continuing to focus on the safety and security of our students, both on and off the field."