A former assistant football coach at Grace Baptist Academy has been indicted on sex charges involving a minor.
James Barker Jr., 30, was indicted on March 6 for exploitation of a minor by electronic means, sexual battery by an authority figure and sexual contact by an authority figure. He turned himself in to the Hamilton County Jail on Friday, booking reports show.
A copy of his indictment for one of Barker's charges says he "unlawfully engage[d] in sexual contact with [a] minor" between Oct. 28, 2018 and Nov. 12, 2018. The minor was between the ages of 13 and 18, and the state is also alleging that Barker and the minor communicated electronically.
Barker worked as an assistant football coach at Grace Baptist Academy, a private Christian school in Hamilton County, for a couple of seasons until he was "let go last fall," said Head of School Matthew Pollock.
Pollock said he could not comment further on the case.
Next up, Barker will plead guilty or not guilty when he's arraigned in Hamilton County Criminal Court. It's unclear when that court date is or whether Barker has posted bail. The Times Free Press could not immediately confirm either detail since Barker's information does not appear to be correctly or fully entered into the courts system.