Football coach accused of having sex with student enters plea

A 45-year-old high school football coach who, according to police, admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old girl pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday.

Antwone Washington, who is accused of having a sexual relationship with a student, was indicted on Thursday on charges of kidnapping, use of a minor in producing pornography and statutory sexual seduction.

On Wednesday morning, he pleaded not guilty to these charges and waived his right to a speedy trial.

Washington, a football coach and campus security officer at Valley High School, approached the girl earlier this year because he wanted to recruit her boyfriend to play football, he told police. The student told a grand jury that this was in March. She was 14 at the time.

The student was finishing ninth grade at the time. “We would talk about just how like things would be going on in school, things I was bad about. That’s how it all started, just basically about my emotions,” the girl testified in front of a grand jury, court transcripts show.

But when the two of them exchanged Snapchats, their conversations took a turn. “The more we talked, the more inappropriate the conversations got,” she testified.

The student was attending summer school when Washington first had sex with her in his office, she testified. When prosecutors asked how many times they had sexual encounters, she said, “A lot. Many. I don’t even know how many anymore.”

When she was stopped by Metropolitan Police Department officers at around 3 a.m. one early September morning, the student gave police her cellphone, according to court transcripts.

After telling Washington about this, she said he “got scared” and “tried to delete everything.” Their sexual relationship stopped, and “his mood changed,” she testified.

Metro Detective Tabatha Dionisio, who analyzed the content on the student’s phone, said that she located the Snapchat conversation, which was “sexual in nature” and “talked about meeting during school hours,” Dionisio testified in front of the grand jury.

Dionisio also found four sexually explicit videos of Washington and the student, she testified.

When Dionisio interviewed Washington, he admitted to having sex with the student and videotaping it but said he had believed her to be 16, Dionisio testified.

Chief Deputy District Attorney William Rowles previously said in court that in one video, the student appeared to be bound and unconscious.

Washington said that he is married but has three other girlfriends, and he admitted to bringing the student to the apartment of one of his girlfriends in order to have sex with the girl, according to an arrest report.

Washington is scheduled to stand trial in July.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estelleatkinson.bsky.social on Bluesky and @estellelilym on X.