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Saturday, March 20, 2010   58º F

Updated 02/21/2008 05:22 PM

Details emerge on coach's charges

By: Shawn Flynn

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CONCORD, N.C. -- James Black, a former teacher assistant and basketball coach at Concord High School, was arrested for having sexual relations with two students.

Investigators are calling Black, who was the junior varsity girl’s basketball coach at Concord High, a predator. They say he would find the girls at school and then lure them on the social-networking web site Myspace.com.

"Initially, we only had complaints from one person,” said Concord Police Chief Merl Hamilton. “The Myspace account led us to the second person. And gave us certainly some background as to what was going on."

One source says Black used to speak inappropriately to the girls on the team he coached, and at one point dropped his pants and mooned them.

Black resigned once the investigation began in December. New Cabarrus County Superintendent Barry Shepherd didn’t answer any questions, but issued a statement.

James Black
James Black
"It's our practice to conduct criminal background checks on all perspective employees and to investigate fully all allegations of inappropriate staff/student relationships,” said Shepherd. “I do regret that this has occurred."

Since the victims were ages 16 and 17, Black does not face any rape charges, though Hamilton went as far as to call Black a predator.

"I'm not sure that it was clear to [Black] that he understood that he was preying on young girls."

Black, who is a distant cousin to the principal of Concord High School, will be charged with two counts of indecent liberties and sexual relations with a student by a teacher.