Former Missouri assistant coach charged with attempted sexual contact with student

A former football assistant coach and substitute teacher in Platte County, Missouri has been released on bail after being charged with attempted sexual contact with a student.

Dillon D. Thomas allegedly asked a 17-year-old Park Hill South High School student for sex via text messages and made attempts to meet with the victim.

Park Hill South graduated a Dillion D. Thomas, who was selected to “the all-area and all-conference teams following his sophomore, junior and senior seasons,” according to a biography at Northern Illinois University’s (NIU) football team’s website.

He was named team captain during his senior year and received the team MVP award as a junior and senior at Park Hill South, said the NIU website. He later transferred to from NIU to Missouri State University, where he made eight starts at safety.

Thomas, 25, had bond set at $7,500 cash and was ordered to have no contact with the victim and is allowed “no entry” to Park Hill School District property, according to court records. The arrest warrant says the court has reasonable grounds to believe Thomas poses a danger to the victim and the community.

The charge of attempted sexual contact with a student is a Class A misdemeanor in Missouri, which carries up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

Thomas reportedly exchanged text messages with the girl and contacted her via Instagram, saying she was attractive, reports local Fox 4 KC. The pair made plans to meet, but never actually met, according to KSHB News 41.

The victim’s parents found the messages and reported the illicit contact to the Platte County Sherriff’s Office, which reviewed the messages from Jan. 28 to March 15, said KSHB News. The local Fox station reports Thomas advised the victim to “delete everything,” after worries surfaced that people knew the two were talking.

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd told KMBC News 9 that there is no evidence of sexual contact between the student and the former Park Hill South teacher.

“Still, any allegation of a teacher even attempting to have sexual contact with a student is a very serious matter. We rely on teachers to keep young people safe, and any potential violation of that trusted relationship is disturbing,” he said according to KMBC.

In wake of the charges, Park Hill School District released a statement:

“The district is aware of a misdemeanor charge in this case. When we were made aware of a concern regarding this instance, we passed it on to the sheriff’s office and children’s division. They’ve been working through an investigation since we passed on the concern. I can confirm that he was an assistant football coach at Park Hill South High School in the fall of 2023 and that he was a substitute teacher in March and April of 2024. He was an at-will employee and is no longer employed by Park Hill.”

No trial date has been set.