GASTONIA – University of Mount Olive officials placed cross country coach John Chandler Caldwell on administrative leave on Thursday, after he was charged with having sex with a female student at Forestview High School.
WBTV in Charlotte was the first to report the story.
Caldwell, 30, was arrested on Wednesday on 10 felony charges. According to reports, Caldwell met the female at a party when she was 17 and he was 26. The two began having sex from August 2018 through April 2019. The female was a member of the track and field team at Forestview High School, where Caldwell was the track coach.
Caldwell is the son of former Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Jesse Caldwell Sr. A judge from Mecklenburg County was appointed to the case, due to Caldwell’s family ties to the court.
Caldwell was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond, and is prohibited from having contact with the female student and her family. He is also not allowed to have contact with female athletes under the age of 18.
Caldwell was hired as the head cross country coach at the University of Mount Olive in April. The University of Mount Olive’s athletic website still lists Caldwell as the head cross country coach.
Prior to arriving at Mount Olive, Caldwell was the head coach for the track and field and cross country programs at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh from 2021 to 2022. In 2019-20, Caldwell was a volunteer assistant coach at Louisburg College.
