As area churches prepared for Vacation Bible Schools, scores of wide-eyed children eagerly awaited the opportunity to attend their first K-Mets baseball game and volunteers at Shepard’s Center were busy organizing their Free Youth Fun Day: other disturbing news was pouring out of Hawkins County:
Head Basketball Coach for Clinch School, Mike Noel, 36, was charged Thursday by Kingsport police with aggravated sexual battery, sexual battery by an authority figure, solicitation of sexual exploitation by a minor, and attempt to commit especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
The charges are related to allegations of sex crimes with the boys ages 13 and 15 on the weekend of June 16-18 during a sleepover at his home for players.
The charges have left educators and community residents shaken. Not only are we disturbed by the nature of the crime itself, but also the fact that many of us would or have entrusted Noel with our own children. We wonder why we didn’t see signs? What did we miss? We think back and grasp random moments, which might have served as a clue.
Hawkins County Commissioner and Father of two, Shane Bailey also taught at Clinch and served as assistant coach under Noel for two years. In a statement to the Times-News, Bailey is quoted as saying:
“I don’t know which two (players) were involved, but I know all the kids on the team, and I just pray so hard for all of them and the whole community.”
[....]
“All I saw when I coached with Mike Noel was a very organized great coach, a great teacher, a great leader, and a role model. I know you’re considered innocent until proven guilty, but the scar of this is going to stay with Clinch School for a long time.”
According to Kingsport Police Department Detective Melanie Adkins, Mr. Noel provided a statement in which he admitted to the offenses.
Also this week:
On Tuesday, Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call about a young girl running alongside a car on busy Highway 11-W in Rogersville. Deputy Mike Allen responded. After locating the vehicle, the driver, Donna Reynolds, told Officer Allen the girl is question was the daughter of her passenger, Sarah Alice Testerman.
Police later learned that the women in the car had allegedly put the 10-year- old child out of the car because they wanted to smoke marijuana. The child was not present in the car during the stop.
According to police reports:
Testerman informed the deputy that her daughter had “probably ran back home.”
Detective Jeff Greer checked the residence and located the little girl – safe and sound after her desperate jog down the highway.
Doesn’t it make you want to go get the poor kid, bring her home with you and assure her the whole way – she’ll never have to chase your car down. Give her ice cream. Let her play with lipstick and watch the Disney Channel. Talk about how Zach Efron is the cutest boy ever - and generally let her be a normal ten year-old.
Oh, but wait that’s not all.
The Kingsport Times- News also reports on Thursday, 6/28/07 Charles Andle Jones of Mount Carmel was sentenced to eight years in prison. Jones, who briefly served as a civilian chaplain for the Mount Carmel Police Department, reportedly signed a written confession admitting to fondling two girls under the age of 12 on four occasions in November 2006. He will be serving 100 percent of his sentence as part of a plea agreement.
