Former Park Hill High School Coach Pleads Guilty to Sex with Student

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former high school coach has admitted to having sex with an underage student while he was working in the Holden school district, prosecutors said.

Joshua D. Hood, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to five counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, two counts of second-degree statutory rape, and one count of second-degree child molestation.

As part of a plea agreement, Hood was sentenced to five years of probation and agreed to surrender his teaching license. He would serve four years in prison if he violates probation.

Hood had been a coach in the Park Hill school district since 2013.

The sexual encounters with a high school student under the age of 17 occurred several times while Hood worked in Holden during the 2003-2004 school year, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s office said.

Park Hill officials said in a statement they were unaware of any allegations of similar conduct by Hood since he was hired. Because he agreed to surrender his teaching license, his contract with the district is terminated.