Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Former Jones County coach Chastain appears in court, agrees to plea agreement and repayment to school's touchdown club, avoids jail time

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Former Jones County coach Chastain appears in court, agrees to plea agreement and repayment to school's touchdown club, avoids jail time

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Updated at 3:30 p.m. with clarifications

           Speculation of the past several days became reality Friday morning when former Jones County head football coach Mike Chastain appeared in a Jones County court and avoided jail time by giving a check for $24,500 to the Jones County Touchdown Club.

          Chastain appeared at Jones County Superior Court Friday morning as part of a plea agreement, where he provided a certified check that went to the club whose account he accessed reportedly without permission.

          Chastain was subject to jail time, but agreed to an Alford Plea, also known as a “best interests plea” in which a defendant pleads guilty while maintaining innocence.

According to www.lawinfo.com: “An Alford-type guilty plea means the defendant decided it would be better to take a known sentence than to take their chances in a criminal trial. At trial, the defendant could face the maximum sentence. 
 (It) allows for sentencing a defendant who maintains their innocence.”

          (Updated) The sentence for the tax evasion charge was five years probation, with the sentence terminated upon full payment of restitution. Chastain did that with the check, and upon meeting next week with a probation officer, will have served that sentence.

          Chastain appeared with his attorney Mitch Warnock, while District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale represented the county.

          Chastain’s teaching certificate was reportedly pulled by the Professional Standards Commission for a year, meaning he’ll not be coaching anywhere in 2025-26. Shortly after his resignation, sources reported him as a candidate for an assistant job at Rabun County.

          He quickly put his house in Gray on the market, and he is working for Baker Sports, a company that provides equipment and marketing tools for schools.

          He sent a statement to WMAZ-TV 13 afterward:

          "I don't understand why me and my family are going through this. But we trust God to continue to lead us and direct our paths. I believe that Someone driven by their hatred of me wanted to see me and my family hurt. I did not intentionally break any rules or laws. Several people were aware of the truck payment.

          “As a family, we felt that it was better to pay the restitution and move on rather than spend a whole lot more time and money fighting this battle that is not ours to fight.  What the enemy has meant for evil God will use for good. We love the students and people of Jones County and want nothing but the best for them."

          Chastain reportedly wrote checks out of the Touchdown Club’s account, something he reportedly wasn’t supposed to do. As the story developed, sources reported that payments went toward a truck.

          It’s not unusual for a booster club to supply a vehicle – among other benefits – for a head coach, but it’s very unusual for a coach to have access to a booster club account and make payments for anything. The club usually leases the vehicle for the coach.

          Coaches can have a purchasing card, but coaches and athletics directors have told The Central Georgia Sports Report that most coaches go through the school’s purchasing system and rarely have access to any other funds.

Barkdsale told The Central Georgia Sports Report that the Friday’s hearing took about 30 minutes, and Brian Wall of the Touchdown Club accepted the check. While Chastain could have received a much harsher penalty had the agreement not been reached, that would’ve extended the process.

“I had lunch with (new athletics director) Charles David a couple weeks ago,” Barksdale said. “And he said, “Honestly, Wright, we’re ready to move on 
 We’re fine with what you’re outlining. We’re ready for a fresh start.”

“All the stakeholders I that I spoke with trying to figure out how do we best resolve this (were ready).”

Immediate restitution and agreeing to the plea terms fairly early in the process, Barksdale said, were key to those stakeholders.

          The situation at Jones County began to unravel publicly during a late January board meeting, spurred by a social media post that gained notable traction regarding the school’s athletic department and football team.

          The athletics portion of the meeting lasted nearly 40 minutes with several speakers -  including former principal and superintendent Chuck Gibson, a former coach – and in which Chastain defended his firing of defensive coordinator Will Conner for, in so many words, insubordination, and Alligood defended his handling of the Jones County athletics department finances, purchasing, and accounts management.

          In less than a week, Chastain and Alligood turned in their resignations on Jan.31. It wasn’t made public for a few days, and was effective at the end of the school year, although they immediately stopped reporting for work at the school.

          Justin Montgomery, who worked for a year with Chastain at Warner Robins, was named as the new head football coach less than two weeks later. Alligood, now living and working on the Georgia coast, announced his retirement on Feb. 21.

          Charles David was introduced on April 16 as the new athletics director. Superintendent Charles Lundy also resigned at the end of the school year after two years in the position.

          Jones County is hosting Mary Persons in a scrimmage Friday at 7:30 p.m.