Moore High School boys basketball coach arrested on charges of assaulting, strangling student

LOUISVILLE, Ky., (WDRB) -- A Jefferson County Public School basketball coach was arrested at Moore High School Wednesday on charges of assaulting and strangling a student.

Richard Gatewood is accused of getting into a verbal argument with a middle school student on Tuesday 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, according to the report.

The mother of the student took photos of his injuries, the report says. And the report says Gatewood admitted to "striking and slamming" the juvenile.

Gatewood, 38, pleaded not guilty on Thursday morning. His bond was set at $15,000.

He is scheduled to appear in Jefferson District Court on Feb. 17.

Gatewood coaches the varsity Moore basketball team and is a school administrator.

JCPS Spokeswoman Carolyn Callahan said Gatewood is still employed as "we are going through our policies and procedures."

A junior varsity coach will take over head coaching duties.

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.”

This story may be updated.