CHICAGO — A Simeon Career Academy High School volunteer track coach repeatedly had sex with an underage female student-athlete in his office and fondled two other girls in the past year, prosecutors alleged Wednesday.
Track and Field Coach Gerald L. Gaddy, 42, was arrested at his home following an investigation by police and school officials that was launched after one of his victims reported the abuse, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Beth Novy said in court Wednesday.
Gaddy had been making inappropriate comments about the body of a victim, asking her to be his girlfriend. Then, in mid-June, he cupped her breasts while helping her put on a weighted vest, prosecutors said.
When someone asked the student "why she looked sad," she reported the incident.
As part of the resulting investigation, school officials learned that Gaddy had been having a sexual relationship with another athlete since April, Novy said.
Between April and June, Gaddy had sex with the student in his office multiple times, Novy said. He demanded that she remove her clothes while in the office, Novy said.
That victim allegedly told another student that she was in a relationship with an older man in May, but school officials did not learn of the alleged relationship until much later.
In the case of the third victim, a 15-year-old, Gaddy was in his office with two female athletes. One of them had accidently elbowed the other, Novy said. When the girl hugged her teammate by way of apology, Gaddy allegedly squeezed her buttocks.
He was arrested at his home in the 8200 block of South Maryland Avenue in Chatham on Tuesday morning and was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse, criminal sexual assault and aggravated battery, police said.
Police said the incidents occurred at various times between Jan. 1 and June 25. The victims were 15, 16 and 17 at the time.
Gaddy has been previously convicted in three seperate drug cases, in 1996, 1998, and the most recent in 2004, according to court records.
A Cook County Judge ordered him held on $300,000 bail Wednesday. Gaddy was wearing a jacket with "Coach Babyface" printed on it, court sources said.
In a statement, CPS spokesman Joel Hood said Gaddy was also a volunteer track and field coach at Simeon and is not a CPS employee. He said Gaddy "has been barred from CPS activities while the district continues its investigation into allegations of misconduct."
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