PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Former Sumner High School basketball coach Jacob Jackson pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he sexually abused multiple underage players he coached over a four-year period.
Jackson, 35, is facing 10 charges including third-degree child rape and molestation, first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor, and five counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
Jackson's bail was set at $25,000, and as of Thursday afternoon, he was no longer in custody, according to the Pierce County jail roster. Electronic home monitoring was imposed.
According to court documents, the Sumner Police Department first opened its investigation following a report made on Aug. 31, 2022, with subsequent reports following.
The documents said three players coached by Jackson were talking about the messages they received from Jackson in June or July of 2022 and decided to tell their parents about what was happening.
In the first report on Aug. 31, 2022, the mother of one of the players said inappropriate conversations between her son and Jackson were brought to her attention. She contacted the police after her son admitted to the conversations, the documents said. A couple of hours later, the father of another player reported his son admitted that Jackson had asked him about his penis size, with other reports following.
According to the documents, between around September 2019 and August 2022 Jackson messaged multiple players he coached asking them for “progress pics,” shirtless photos, and asked them about their penis sizes.
The teens said Jackson would send them nude photos of himself over Snapchat and would ask them for nude pictures and videos.
Two teens reported to police that Jackson also sexually abused them on multiple occasions at his home.
Jackson's attorney wouldn't comment Thursday on the allegations.
Forms have been filed on behalf of four of the victims and their families announcing their intent to sue the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District. The suit claims the school district had notice as early as 2018 that there were concerns about Jackson’s direct contact with players. It also references a 2020 complaint filed with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association which stated concerns about Jackson’s use of personal connections at a Nike store and his messaging with kids as young as the 6th grade.
A lawyer for the alleged victims' families provided this statement to KING 5:
Jake Jackson used a position of privilege and trust to victimize children. As a coach, he was duty-bound to be honest, ethical, empathetic and, more than anything else, he was supposed to be focused on the well-being of these student-athletes. Instead, he committed violent, traumatic acts as a display of his power that will scar many lives forever.
Today, the courageous kids who spoke up to put a stop to this long pattern of abuse by Jake Jackson got some sense of justice. It was an important step for the survivors and their families. For the first time, Jackson was hauled into court as a criminal defendant to answer for his actions. When Judge Adams ordered Jackson to be immediately booked, and he was handcuffed in the courtroom, there was loud applause and a palpable feeling of relief for the community as a whole.