LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Twin brothers and former duPont Manual High School football coaches Donnie and Ronnie Stoner pleaded not guilty Monday to dozens of child sex abuse charges involving four minors.
A third man named in the indictment, Zachary Kilgore, failed to appear in court.
The 52-count indictment includes charges spanning from 2005 to 2023. Donnie Stoner, the former head coach, faces 35 counts, including rape, sodomy, sexual abuse and tampering with evidence. His brother Ronnie, a former assistant coach and safety administrator at the school, faces 21 counts, including incest and unlawful transactions with a minor.
The charges stem from the alleged abuse of four individuals, identified in court documents by their initials. All four victims attended the arraignment. It was the first time the alleged victims had seen the Stoner brothers in years.
Former DuPont Manual High School football coaches Donnie Stoner and Ronnie Stoner at their arraignment on sex abuse charges. (WDRB Image) July 21, 2025
"They smiled and kind of laughed," said Alexis Crook, an alleged victim of the brothers. "So that was difficult, because I don't think this is funny."
Crook said the Stoners were the coaches when she was a girl on the football team at Evangel Christian School in 2005. She said the sexual encounters began when she was 15 years old.
"It's like the first step of any accountability for 20 years, so we're very happy such a robust indictment was filed," Crook said. "Emotions are really high."
The case was briefly delayed after Jefferson County Circuit Judge Julie Kaelin recused herself, citing a prior legal connection to a co-defendant in another case involving Kilgore. The case was reassigned to Judge Mitch Perry, who placed the Stoner brothers on home incarceration despite the prosecution’s request for higher bond and immediate custody.
Prosecutors noted that arrest warrants were issued the previous Friday, and that the brothers made no effort to turn themselves in.
Jefferson County Public Schools confirmed that Donnie Stoner is no longer employed by the district. Ronnie Stoner has been reassigned to a role without student contact.
Kilgore is charged with one count of first-degree rape. A warrant is still out for his arrest.
During a July 29 bond hearing, a judge set a $500,000 bond for the Stoners but allowed for them to post 10% of that — $50,000 — and be placed on home incarceration.
Their next court date is Aug. 19.
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