Groveton coach accused of improper contact
Trinity Standard -

GROVETON – A 30-year-old Groveton High School coach was suspended with pay last week after being charged with having inappropriate educator/student relations. Jeremy Austin Carroll, a second-year English and physical education teacher at GHS, was free on a $40,000 bond after he surrendered to police Thursday, Jan. 19. A felony arrest warrant had been issued earlier that day. The arrest came last week following a joint investigation by the Precinct 1 Constable’s Office and the Groveton Police Department. On Saturday, Jan. 14, the mother of a 15-year-old GHS student contacted Constable Woody Wallace regarding inappropriate text messages her daughter had received on her cell phone. The coach allegedly sent the messages. Wallace went to the residence of the 15 year old to conduct the initial interview. Because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 16, investigators had to wait until Tuesday, Jan. 17, to meet with school officials at which point the Groveton Police Department entered the investigation. “I guess by the time we met with the folks at school, word had spread and it gave another girl the courage to come forward,” said Groveton Police Chief John Raiford. The second girl, identified as a 16-year-old GHS student, told investigators the coach had touched her inappropriately under her clothing. Raiford said the second girl was sent to Kalin’s Center in Crockett for a victim’s interview. The child advocacy center has specially trained personnel on hand to interview children and young people who may have been the victims of crime. The Groveton Police Chief said that interview was conducted on Wednesday, Jan. 18, and the following morning an arrest warrant for Carroll was issued in connection with the incident involving the 16-year-old girl. Wallace also obtained a search warrant for Carroll’s cell phone in connection with the incident involving the 15-year-old student. Raiford said they learned the suspect was not in Trinity County but was staying at his parents’ residence in Nacogdoches. Wallace and Texas Ranger Steve Rayburn of Lufkin contacted him by telephone at that residence and made arrangements for him to surrender to Wallace in Groveton later that day. Carroll, accompanied by his attorney, turned himself in at the Trinity County District Attorney’s office in Groveton. He was taken to the Trinity County Jail where he made arrangements to post bond immediately after being booked. Raiford said when the coach surrendered, he also turned over his cell phone to investigators. The phone will undergo a forensic examination by Lufkin Police Department specialists. He added the investigation is still underway and the matter will be presented to a Trinity County grand jury. Additional charges against Carroll could be filed at that time. Shots fired In other Groveton police activity, officers were called to the Groveton Seniors Apartments on East First Street shortly after midnight Monday morning. Raiford said a resident of one of the apartments apparently heard a noise at the front door, thought someone was trying to break-in and fired three shots through the door. One of the shot penetrated a neighboring apartment with the spent bullet landing on the lap of a female resident. No injuries were reported and no charges have been filed at this time. Raiford said the man who fired the shots was thought to have a medical problem and was transported by ambulance to a Lufkin hospital where he was admitted into the intensive care unit. Stabbing investigated A 21-year-old Groveton man was recovering from a stab wound this week in a Lufkin hospital following an incident Sunday, Jan. 15, in Groveton. Felix Benavides was stabbed in the chest with the blade penetrating to his heart. Hilario Vasquez, 57, of Groveton was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Raiford said the incident occurred about 6 p.m. during a backyard barbecue when two men began arguing and one stabbed the other. Benavides was taken to the Lufkin hospital where he underwent heart surgery to repair the damage.