Investigation into former Bowling Green High School strength coach

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WTVG) - The Wood County Sheriff’s Office is taking a closer look at a claim against a now former Bowling Green High School strength coach.

After the accusation of improper contact parents are now asking more questions about how this man got close to the kids after a past conviction.

When Bowling Green High School basketball parents got this word last week of an emergency meeting regarding student wellbeing the alarm bells went off.

They were told about a strength coach named Zachary Gibson and how he’d no longer be with the program. It now turns out that Gibson has a 2010 conviction out of Hardin County on a charge of disseminating harmful material to a juvenile after pleading guilty.

According to the Ada Herald newspaper police arrested Gibson, who was 18 at the time, in a park after police were alerted to text messages he had sent to a 14-year-old boy. Part of his sentence included sexual offender counseling and not to appear at any Ada High School events.

Fast forward 12 years and Gibson was back working with high school kids at BG.

Parents who attended that meeting were asking questions about how he was hired.

Superintendent Francis Scruci did not respond to 13abc requests for information Thursday.

But we do know he was an independent contractor at Fastrak Performance fitness training who terminated him in early April. A company representative saying they were not aware of his background.

That brings us to not only the parent meeting but new allegations that were first reported to Bowling Green Police and have now been transferred to the Wood County Sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn telling 13abc that it is only an allegation at this time and that no charges have been filed. His deputies are looking into an accusation of improper contact.

Gibson did not respond to a message for a comment.

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