Former Meadowcreek High School swim coach Anthony Rainge was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of sexual battery of a child under 16.
Rainge was booked into the Gwinnett County jail and released on a $11,200 bond the same day.
Those charges are for incidents that occurred off school grounds, said Gwinnett schools spokesman Bernard Watson.
The Gwinnett County Schools Police Department continues its investigation into allege misconduct on school property. The department also has filed reports with Georgia Division of Family and Children’s Services.
The allegations, which date back 2013, caught the attention of investigators after students last month posted details of their interactions with the Meadowcreek High School educator on social media. In the midst of Gwinnett Schools’ internal investigation, Rainge retired.
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Attempts by the AJC to contact Rainge were unsuccessful on Wednesday. He answered the phone and told a reporter he would call back, but never did. His son, also named Anthony Rainge, said his father did not do anything wrong.
“These kids were bored from being in quarantine and started posting things on social media,” he said. “They’ve ruined a grown man’s life.”
Besides coaching the swim team, Rainge, 69, was a popular figure at the school. He taught law, sponsored the Moot Court and Mock Trial teams as well as several other student organizations.
“The way [he] went about with his conversations and actions were not appropriate.” one of the women posted about her relationship with Rainge. “As we built a student-teacher relationship, it became unprofessional. There have been numerous times I felt uncomfortable, and unsafe…He bought me gifts, that included Victoria Secret [lingerie].”
The AJC does not identify victims of sexual assault.
Some of the women wrote that Rainge would stroke their thighs or discuss sexual encounters with them. He consistently asked the then-students if they “liked older men,” they wrote.
Meadowcreek Principal Kevin Wood sent out a message to parents and students the day he learned about the posts.
“Gwinnett County Public Schools takes these types of allegations very seriously…I want to reassure you that we are aware of these allegations and that these complaints are under investigation,” Wood wrote.
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