Former basketball coach charged with having sex with minors

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A former high school girls’ basketball coach at a school in Westerville has been charged with allegedly having sex with two players on his team.

According to online court records, Jason P. Dawson, 35, is charged with two counts of sexual battery of a minor and one count of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, all felonies.

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According to court records, Dawson was a teacher and coach at Worthington Christian School in Westerville when he met one of the victims during her sophomore year. The victim told police that her relationship with Dawson turned sexual in January 2021 when she was 16 years old and ended in September 2023. The victim said she and Dawson engaged in sexual activity approximately 100 times, court records state.

The victim told police that Dawson recorded the two having intercourse multiple times, and would then send the videos to her. According to court records, police found three of those videos on the victim’s cell phone.

According to the Franklin County Municipal Court complaint, the second victim alleges the sexual conduct took place on school property in November 2020.

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Dawson was the girls’ basketball coach at Worthington Christian School for three seasons until 2023, when he left for a job in North Carolina.

Dawson was arrested by Cornelius, North Carolina, police on Monday. He is currently being held in Mecklenburg County Jail where he is awaiting extradition back to Franklin County.

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