Charlotte area high school basketball coach placed on leave after assault charge

A basketball coach at a Charlotte-area high school has been placed on leave after he was charged with assault and battery in Lancaster County, S.C., according to law enforcement and school officials.

Joe Douglas Badgett, is the boys basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Carmel Christian School in Matthews, officials confirmed to The Herald.

Badgett was placed on leave by the school after his arrest, according to a statement sent by the school to Carmel Christian School parents.

Carmel Christian School is a ministry of Carmel Baptist Church, according to Tim Wishon, a spokesman for the church.

The alleged criminal offense has no connection to the school or anyone involved with the school, according to Wishon and Carmel officials. The allegations happened in South Carolina in 2022, law enforcement and court documents show.

Badgett is listed as assistant athletic director on the school’s Web site.

Charged by Lancaster County SC deputies

Badgett, 57, was arrested Monday by Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a charge of second-degree assault and battery, according to an arrest warrant obtained by The Herald.

Badgett turned himself in, said Doug Barfield, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

According to the arrest warrant and a sheriff’s office incident report, Badgett is accused of improper touching of a person while Badgett and the alleged victim were working in 2022 at Movement Mortgage in the Indian Land area of northern Lancaster County.

Deputies received a report about the incident in 2022 and investigated, Barfield said. A judge signed an arrest warrant for Badgett in mid-April, Barfield said.

School officials send statement to parents

Wishon said Badgett has been the basketball coach at Carmel Christian School for five years, and assistant athletic director since December 2022.

The alleged incident is not connected to the school, the campus, students or employees, according to Wishon.

Wishon provided The Herald a copy of the statement sent by the school to parents. Here is the statement:

“Dear CCS families,

I want to make you aware that Assistant Athletic Director and Coach Joe Badgett has been placed on leave pending the outcome of a charge brought against him by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Badgett turned himself in to the sheriff’s office on Monday in connection with an alleged incident that occurred in South Carolina and does not involve actions that occurred on campus or within the CCS community. Nonetheless, it is prudent to place Mr. Badgett on leave at this time as we learn more through the legal process. In the interim, the Athletics office will ensure Mr. Badgett’s athletics and coaching duties are covered.

We are praying for everyone involved and will update you at an appropriate time.

Thank you for your partnership and prayers.”

Carmel Christian School competes in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association, according to past coverage in The Charlotte Observer.

The boys basketball team, coached by Badgett, lost in the finals of the 4A championship in February, according to The Observer.

What happens now?

The criminal charge against Badgett is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of three years in prison for a conviction, South Carolina law shows.

Badgett received a $5,000 bond after an initial court appearance Monday and was released Monday afternoon, Barfield said.

No trial date has been set.