Football coach accused of child abuse in fight he set up between kids, NC cops say
A youth football coach watched one boy beat up another and didn’t step in, North Carolina officials say.
Though Anthony Shegog is facing a child abuse charge, the ministry where he works says it trusts its staffers.
It all started when he asked one of his Power Cross Ministries players about a fight in September, according to a Salisbury Police Department arrest warrant filed Friday.
When Shegog didn’t get an answer, he told the kid: “What if I just watch you get into a fight,” police say.
The coach brought in a bigger child who started hitting the smaller one, according to the arrest warrant.
During the alleged two-minute altercation, the coach watched an 11-year-old boy beat up a 10-year-old, officials told the Salisbury Post and other news outlets.
“He just allowed the ... kid to assault the other kid and didn’t do anything about it,” Lt. Greg Beam of the Salisbury Police Department told McClachy news group.
But Ken Darty, an attorney representing the coach, said the charges against his client are “unfounded.”
“He has done no wrong other than been a victim of an overly zealous police department,” the lawyer told McClatchy news group.
Darty said he recommended that Power Cross not terminate the coach.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Shegog still was listed as a staff member on two parts of the ministry’s website.
His online biography says he played Division I football for Virginia Tech. A player with the same name was with the Hokies for four seasons starting in 2014-15, according to team statistics.
Shegog was arrested Saturday and charged with misdemeanor child abuse, according to Salisbury police. He is scheduled to appear in court in December, records show.
“We believe in our justice system and we believe that when this is over the truth will overcome,” Jeff Storment, Power Cross founder, wrote Tuesday in an emailed statement to McClatchy news group. “We have worked hard to build a working staff and we trust them, their training and their testimonies.”
Storment said children are the top priority at the ministry, which offers tutoring, Bible study and sports.
Salisbury is roughly 45 miles northeast of Charlotte.
