LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Former Collins High School teacher and basketball coach Chris Gaither is under investigation by Kentucky State Police.
KSP confirmed Tuesday the department has had an "open and active investigation into allegations" against Gaither since January of this year.
"KSP Post 12 remains committed to investigating this matter and is seeking further information," the statement said.
The investigation comes after Gaither was suspended twice then later fired in January after a former student publicly accused him of grooming and inappropriate behavior dating back years.
In the letter to the Shelby County Board of Education in December 2025, Hayley Murphy Weddle alleges Gaither groomed her for two years while she was a student at Collins High School.
Weddle said the behavior began in 2012, when she was 17 years old and working as a student manager for the boys basketball team Gaither coached.
She wrote that Gaither frequently pulled her out of class, texted her outside of school and basketball activities and asked questions about her sexual history.
Weddle also alleged that in 2014, while Gaither's wife was on a mission trip and Weddle was babysitting his children, Gaither kissed her. Weddle said that weeks after her graduation, he persuaded her to have sex.
After Gaither was fired, he appealed his termination, a process that could have led to a formal hearing. Instead, both sides reached a settlement.
Under the agreement, neither Gaither nor the district admits fault. Gaither will resign at the end of June, and that resignation voids his termination.
The district is paying him nearly $38,000 in salary from the time he was terminated in January through the end of June. On top of that, Gaither gets a $5,000 lump-sum payment from the district's insurance carrier.
Gaither also agreed not to apply for another job with Shelby County Public Schools.
KSP said anyone with information about the Gaither should call 502-227-2221.
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