A Louisville high school basketball coach has been arrested after being accused of assaulting a middle school student.
Moore High School head basketball coach Richard Gatewood, 38, was arrested by Louisville Metro Police on Wednesday and charged with second-degree assault and second-degree strangulation.
Gatewood on Tuesday became involved in a verbal altercation with a student at Moore Middle School where the coach is accused of slamming the student’s head on bleachers and placing him a “choke hold,” according to the Courier Journal.
Photos of the victim taken by his mother showed bruising and redness on his chest and a significant cut on his hand.
While being questioned by police, Gatwood admitted he assault the student, the Louisville newspaper reports.
Gatewood, who was most recently hired by Moore as the school’s head basketball coach last summer, previously served as head coach at Moore during the 2012-2013 season.
He was the head coach at Taylor County High School from 2013 to 2016.
Gatewood was lodged in Louisville Metro Corrections but is now free on bond.
(Photo: Moore High School basketball coach Richard Gatewood, courtesy of WLKY.com)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
