A Council Grove recreational league football coach and Morris County school board member is in hot water after allegedly assaulting one of his football players.
Adam Dirks was summoned to court on suspicion of battery and interference with law enforcement after a practice incident Sept. 15. Dirks, an assistant coach according to Council Grove Police, is accused of pushing an 11-year-old player to the ground after that child and Dirks’ son got into an altercation. He’s also accused of giving false information to Council Grove officers as they investigated the report.
According to Council Grove Police Chief Shawn Wangerin, Dirks was not arrested as the incident was a “misdemeanor that occurred outside the view of law enforcement.”
The team is not associated with USD 417 Morris County, although the incident happened at the Council Grove High School practice facility.
Dirks’ status with the USD 417 Board of Education is unclear. Should the case go to trial and Dirks is convicted, he could be subject to removal by a recall petition effort. The board’s next scheduled meeting is Oct. 11.
Council Grove Police are asking people who witnessed the incident to give statements by calling 620-767-5200.
