Former Shawnee Assistant Athletic Director To Appear In Court, Calls For A Grand Jury Investigation

Former Shawnee Assistant Athletic Director Ron Arthur is being charged with allegations of sexually abusing students.

There are now calls for a grand jury investigation.

Investigators say contact continued after his arrest in 2021, and abuse allegations span back to more than a decade before that.

According to investigators, the abuse impacted more than just students in Shawnee, but several other districts as well.

In 2018, there was a Title 9 investigation into Ron Arthur's behavior, and he was suspended several times between 2007 and 2008.

One of his alleged victims told police Arthur drugged and raped him.

According to lead investigators, text messages on Arthur's phone confirm he had multiple victims.

A former student that spoke to News 9 says he and his teammates were approached by school board members and the athletic director at the time about Arthur but were told to keep quiet.

Deputy Soule said in a press conference Wednesday that during her time investigating the case, it has appeared as though Arthur was not concerned about the consequences.

"He was told not to have meetings with players without an assistant coach or athletic director present and he still did that. To me, it seemed like he was untouchable. He didn't care that he was getting written up," said Soule.

On Wednesday, Sen. Shane Jett called for a grand jury investigation into the allegations against Arthur and the Shawnee Public School District.

"I started getting phone calls from people in my district, who began to share with me that this wasn't the first offense, it wasn't the second, it was multiple offenses that spread over a 15-year period," said Jett.

Investigators say the current superintendent recommended Arthur's termination after his arrest last year, but the board denied it.

Arthur has pleaded not guilty and will be in court later this month.