FORMER COACH GETS SUSPENDED SENTENCE FOR THEFT – Former Bridgeport Bulls football coach JD Bales pleaded guilty this week to grand larceny and was sentenced to five years probation. MESSENGER ARCHIVE
Former Bridgeport Bulls football coach JD Bales pleaded guilty to grand larceny on Tuesday after an investigation found evidence that he used a county credit card at a Houston strip club last summer.
Court records show Bales, 37, pleaded guilty to third-degree theft of property, had his sentence enhanced by $2,500 to $30,000 and had his probation suspended. He was sentenced to five years of probation or community service.
According to 271st District Court records, Bales was also fined $1,500. He previously repaid the district for the more than $5,000 he allegedly spent at the Men’s Club of Houston in July 2023 while taking a coaching class.
In addition to the usual probation requirements, Bales’s probationary terms also include completing 240 hours of community service and abstaining from alcohol.
Bales resigned last September after the district began investigating “allegations of misconduct related to the use of district funds,” according to a statement obtained by the Messenger on Sept. 11. The case was subsequently investigated by Bridgeport police.
“During the investigation, which included information that Bales had previously claimed the charges were fraudulent (to both the school and the financial institution), investigators discovered evidence that a criminal offense had occurred,” Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford said in a written statement announcing the arrest last year.
After the police investigation was completed, the case was referred to the Wise County District Attorney’s Office.
JD BALES
Last November, a grand jury indicted Bales, and he was arrested in December. He was released on $10,000 bail.
Wise County District Attorney James Stainton praised the work of the Bridgeport Police Department in the case.
“They contacted the people at the club, verified who made the charges and provided me with an excellent platform for prosecution,” Stainton said.
When he retired last year, Bales was leading the Bulls’ football program, serving as an assistant coach and also teaching special education. He was hired in 2018.
The investigation followed alleged hazing issues within the football program that led to the arrest of several Bridgeport student-athletes in early 2023.
During the 2023 playoffs, the Bulls football program was investigated by the Bridgeport Police Department and Bridgeport ISD. In May 2023, six students were arrested on a Class B misdemeanor charge of personal hazing that allegedly occurred between October 2022 and March 2023.
