A former Gaston County Public Schools coach who is the son of a former Gaston County Superior Court judge was indicted on July 19 on 10 sex crime charges involving a former female student.

JOHN CHANDLER CALDWELL

John Chandler Caldwell, age 30, was indicted on five counts of sexual acts with a student and five counts of indecent liberties with a student.

Caldwell is the son of retired Superior Court Judge Jesse Caldwell, who was present in the courtroom when his son was indicted. Due to his ties to the courts, the N.C. Department of Justice is prosecuting Caldwell’s case and the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office has recused itself.

Mecklenburg County Judge David Strickland gave Caldwell a $50,000 unsecured bond even though the prosecutor had asked for a secured bond of $500,000.

Under the conditions of his release, Caldwell can have no contact with the student and their family as well as being prohibited from having contact with any female athletes under age 18.

According to statements in court by Special Deputy Attorney General for the N.C. Department of Justice Boz Zellinger, Caldwell first met and also kissed the 17-year-old female student at a party. At the time of the encounters, Caldwell was 26 years old.

Caldwell allegedly had sex with the student between Aug. 27, 2018, to April 30, 2019. Zellinger also said the sexual encounters took place at the home he shared with his father, his grandmother’s home, and in his car after track practice.

At the time the incidents occurred, Caldwell was the Forestview High School track coach and the girl was a member of the team.

At Caldwell’s court hearing, Zellinger said the girl “came forward more recently when she began to feel that the defendant was now grooming her sister, who’s a couple years younger than her.”

Zellinger also said that a video of the girl in Caldwell’s bedroom wearing just a shirt and underwear was discovered during the investigation by police and that Caldwell admitted to having sex with the girl when police questioned him in March at his home in Raleigh.

The girl had previously denied allegations of a relationship with Caldwell when Gaston County School officials were investigating rumors of sexual activity.

The prosecutor said Caldwell confessed when investigators arrived at his home. Caldwell’s attorney, Rick Beam, didn’t talk about that case in court, but instead, pointed to the people behind Caldwell.

Caldwell no longer works for Gaston County Public Schools and the district has yet to issue a formal statement.

In April of this year, Caldwell was named head coach of the University of Mount Olive cross-country team. On July 20, Mount Olive officials indicated Caldwell had been placed on administrative leave effective immediately.

Caldwell does not have a North Carolina teaching license, per records kept on file with the state.

Caldwell’s arrest and indictment come as the North Carolina General Assembly is in the process of passing legislation that will raise the penalties for education employees who commit the crimes he is accused of.

House Bill 142 is an N.C. Department of Public Instruction agency bill that was introduced by Gaston County Rep. John Torbett, who is a co-chair of the House K-12 Education Committee.

Under the bill, the crime of sexual activity with a student will go from a Class I to a Class G felony.  The crime of taking indecent liberties with a student also goes from a Class I to a Class G felony.

A Class I felony has a sentence of three to 12 months. A Class G felony is an eight to 31 months prison sentence.

Additionally, it will be a Class I felony if a school official fails to report a teacher engaged in misconduct to the State Board of Education.

The bill unanimously passed the House 114-0 and is awaiting a vote by the Senate.

Update: Caldwell was convicted on June 4, 2024, on five counts of taking indecent liberties with a student. The conviction records show that the sentences for all five counts will run concurrently and he was not given jail time — 24 months of probation/parole.

Caldwell was also required to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 10 years.