A former Chesterton High School English teacher and debate team coach charged with child seduction had his bond set at $10,000 and is under a no-contact order for the former student who is his alleged victim during a Thursday initial hearing in Porter Superior Court.
Dakota McCoy, 31, of Valparaiso, must be under GPS monitoring upon his release from Porter County Jail and the court found “clear and convincing evidence” that McCoy is a danger to himself and/or the community and is in need of supervision, according to court documents.
He is not to have contact with anyone, faculty or students, at Chesterton High School, according to the order on the initial hearing.
McCoy started up a sexual relationship with one of the students on the debate team and then forced her to lie about the relationship to school officials, according to charging documents. He is charged with three felony counts of child seduction and one felony count of obstruction of justice.
McCoy allegedly began a sexual relationship with the student, who has since graduated and is identified as Victim 1, in 2016, when the student was a sophomore, and continued through her senior year in 2018, according to the charges.
Deputies with the Porter County Sheriff’s Department took McCoy into custody Monday morning. Duneland School Corporation Superintendent Chip Pettit has said McCoy, who was an instructional assistant previously, has been terminated from the school district.
The relationship, which the former student said was consensual, ended her freshman year in college in 2019, according to charging documents.
“Victim reported there were approximately 50 sexual encounters between her and Dakota McCoy when he was working as a Speech and Debate Coach/Teacher at Chesterton High School,” documents state.
The former student told police that the first time she had sex with McCoy was at a house party in Chesterton when she was “extremely intoxicated” and he followed her into a bathroom. Other sexual encounters reportedly took place in McCoy’s car and at his mother’s home.
The former student, according to the documents, spoke to an assistant principal at the high school about the allegations two years ago and “lied because McCoy had already contacted her and pressured her into lying on his behalf.”
She later emailed the assistant principal a reported recording of a phone call between herself and McCoy in June 2022 about their relationship.
In the portion of that conversation provided in the charging documents, the woman tells McCoy he was having sex with her when she was 16 or 17 and in high school.
McCoy reportedly says he “felt a sense of guilt and shame” and went on to say, “I should’ve known better I don’t have any kind of excuse.”
The former student goes on to say that McCoy called her and asked her to lie to the assistant principal. “I lied for you, I covered for you,” documents state.
“I get that, I think you’re right. Would you want to meet in person? You’ve sent me in a panic,” McCoy said.
McCoy’s trial, before Porter Superior Court Judge Mary DeBoer, is slated to begin with jury selection on April 15. His next court date is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 21.
McCoy is being represented by Ken Elwood; the case is being prosecuted by Mary Ryan.
Chesterton Police Detective Cpl. Chris Schoof and Patrol Detective Cpl. Arwen LaMotte are the lead investigators in this case. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact either of them at 219-926-1136.
alavalley@chicagotribune.com
