Louisville grand jury clears former Moore HS basketball coach accused of assaulting, strangling student

LOUISVILLE, Ky., (WDRB) -- A grand jury last week declined to indict a former Jefferson County Public Schools basketball coach accused of assaulting and strangling a student.

Richard Gatewood was arrested at Moore High School Feb. 7 after allegedly getting into a verbal argument with a middle school student in the gym, slamming the boy down and placing him in a chokehold, "effectively strangling him," according to an arrest report.

Police were notified by a school staffer. The incident was caught on school video and Gatewood admitted to "striking and slamming" the juvenile, according to the report.

But on April 18, a Jefferson County grand jury issued a "no true bill" on assault and strangulation charges, dismissing the case.

Defense attorney Edward Airhart, who represents Gatewood, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Gatewood, 38, had pleaded not guilty and was out on bond.

Gatewood coached the varsity Moore basketball team and was a school administrator.

JCPS Spokeswoman Carolyn Callahan said as of March 2, Gatewood is no longer a JCPS employee.

Gatewood was hired in March 2022. He previously coached at Moore a decade ago. After the 2012-13 season, Moore went 23-8 and Gatewood was named Sixth Region Coach of the Year, according to a Courier Journal article.

Gatewood took over a Moore program that went 6-22 last season and hasn’t reached the Sixth Region Tournament since 2019.

"People forget that Moore was really good," Gatewood told the newspaper. "It’s one of those things where we have to re-establish the culture. We have to establish a culture of working hard, wanting to get better, wanting to live in the gym."