TITUSVILLE, Fla. – A Brevard County coach accused of molesting boys during an out-of-state wrestling trip was arrested in Fulton County, Ga., this week and is free on bond.
John Hackney was charged with multiple counts of child molestation and cruelty to a child, according to the Fulton County sheriff's website.
Hackney was arrested Monday and released on an $80,000 bond two days later.
Titusville police announced in an Aug. 17 news release that two warrants were issued for the arrest of Hackney on charges related to reported incidents on a wrestling trip in July. Police in Georgia confirmed that two more warrants had been issued for Hackney's arrest on charges of child molestation involving the same boy victims.
Officer Lisa Holland, spokeswoman for Roswell (Ga.) Police Department, said the four warrants for Hackney's arrest had been entered into a national database.
Hackney, 51, led a wrestling team with athletes up to 18 years old on a trip to an AAU camp at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. Police in Roswell, which is on the outskirts of Atlanta, got information of the incident that occurred July 16 at LaQuinta Inn & Suites, according to a police report. The redacted report suggests there are two 15-year-old male victims.
Hackney has more than 20 years of teaching experience in the county, and last year worked as a special education teacher at Cocoa High School. He taught special education at Astronaut High School for several years before that.
Hackney resigned from the district in late July. Georgia police said they will seek to extradite Hackney to face prosecution there once he is arrested.