Blacksburg High basketball coach accused of having inappropriate relationship with student

A Blacksburg High School coach has been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a female student.

Alex Clayton Bailey, 30, of 183 Bear Den Road in Blacksburg, was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the State Law Enforcement Division announced Thursday. He was taken to the Cherokee County Detention Center.

Bailey is charged in connection to a 2013 incident involving a female student at Blacksburg High School, according to SLED and the Cherokee County School District.

Principal Craig Bramlett said Bailey was suspended after the accusations surfaced. He declined to comment further, saying the matter is a “personnel situation.”

Cherokee County School District Superintendent Qunicie Moore released a statement Thursday afternoon saying that Bailey has been on leave since 2014 when SLED began its investigation into an alleged inappropriate relationship between Bailey and the teenage student.

Carl Carpenter, the district’s director of human resources, said Bailey has been on paid administrative leave during the investigation.

Bailey has been employed with the school district since Jan. 3, 2008, Carpenter said.

He taught physical education and was the head boys basketball coach at Blacksburg High School, Carpenter said.

An arrest warrant states that Bailey enticed a 17-year-old student to “sneak out of her home after midnight, which endangered her morals and encouraged her to become incorrigible.”

Bailey remains on paid leave while the school district is making a determination about his employment status, according to the district.

“The District will remain in close communication with law enforcement officials as more information becomes known about this matter. Once the District has had the opportunity to review that information, further decisions regarding the status of Mr. Bailey’s employment with the District will be made,” the District’s statement reads.

Bailey is the son of Barry Bailey, who sits on the Cherokee County School District’s board of trustees.

Alex Bailey was released on a $5,000 surety bond later Thursday, according to an officer at the Cherokee County jail.

This is Alex Bailey’s first criminal offense in South Carolina, according to records obtained from SLED.

The contributing to the delinquency of a minor charge carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $3,000, or both upon conviction.

SLED conducted the investigation at the request of the Blacksburg Police Department.

Blacksburg’s Police Chief, Jamie Ham, could not be reached for comment.