KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Park Hill football coach Josh Hood allegedly had a months-long sexual relationship with a student under the age of 17 at a previous school, according to an eight-count criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court.
Hood was charged with five counts second-degree statutory sodomy, second-degree statutory rape, attempted second-degree statutory rape and second-degree child molestation.
The relationship allegedly took place from Nov. 1, 2003, to May 13, 2004, according to a court document.
"He repeatedly stated that his life and career were over if he admitted to having sex with a student," a Missouri State Highway Patrol probable cause statement said.
Hood was 26 to 27 years old at the time of the alleged relationship. He was a teacher and coach at Holden High School, which is southeast of Lee’s Summit in Johnson County, Missouri.
"The reality is that we feel these charges are baseless in nature," Hood's attorney, Greg Watt, said in an afternoon news conference after the charges were filed and before they were announced. "Mr. Hood is looking forward to clearing his name and defending himself also in a court of law."
Watt called Hood's reputation "beyond reproach."
"Mr. Hood is an extremely devoted educator in Park Hill, an extremely devoted coach, he’s an extremely devoted husband, and father," Watt said. "We wanted to use this as an opportunity to emphasize our confidence in his innocence."
The Park Hill School District released a statement Wednesday evening. Hood has been placed on administrative leave, but the district isn't aware of any allegations made during his seven years at Park Hill.
We learned late this afternoon — Wednesday, Dec. 16 — that Josh Hood, a teacher and head football coach at Park Hill High School, held a press conference about sexual allegations made by a former student from his time working in another school district.
Early this evening, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office shared with us that they are bringing several charges against him related to these sexual allegations from 2003 and 2004.
We take any possible harm to students extremely seriously, so when we found out about these allegations this afternoon, the district immediately placed him on administrative leave.
We are not aware of any reports or allegations about Josh Hood of any kind of similar misconduct here in the Park Hill School District. He has been in Park Hill since 2013.
The Trojans football team canceled its team weightlifting session Wednesday night, according to social media.
Trojans: We will be canceling weights for tonight (Wednesday 12/16). We will plan to be back in action at our time on Friday. If you have any questions please reach out to @Coachponcy58
— Park Hill Trojans Football (@PHTrojansFB) December 16, 2020
Before becoming the Park Hill football coach in February 2013, Hood served as an assistant coach at Staley High School.
He also had previous stops at Concordia, William Chrisman, Holden and Oak Park, according to PrepsKC.com.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol launched an investigation in April 2020 after the alleged victim came forward.
According to the complaint, the student met with Hood "at multiple locations in Lee's Summit, Missouri, for sexual intercourse and sexual acts."
The sexual relationship began during an encounter in a hot tub at a private residence in Lee's Summit in December 2003, according to a probable cause statement.
The victim also alleged that she met Hood "multiple times for sex" at two Lee's Summit hotels. She also met Hood at his apartment in Lee's Summit for sex, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report.
After gathering corroborating information, investigators interviewed Hood in August. He admitted to knowing the girl,having her over to his residence and engaging in some sexual contact, according to the probable cause statement.
Hood’s team have won four conference championships and 60-32 during the last eight seasons, including a 4-7 record in 2020. He led the Trojans to the Missouri Class 5 state semifinals in 2014 and the Missouri Class 6 semifinals in 2017.
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