Former Salem wrestling coach under investigation
Accused of inappropriate relationship with student athlete
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SALEM--A former Salem High School wrestling coach is under investigation for an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student athlete.
Detective Brad Davis said that the Salem Police Department was notified of a possible inappropriate relationship between an adult and a juvenile in June. He said that after receiving the report, the department notified the school district and Columbiana County Children Services, and that the department is continuing to investigate the report.
While Davis said he could not provide any further details due to the ongoing status of the case, he did confirm that no charges have been filed as of Thursday evening, and that children services, the school district and the Ohio Department of Education had all been involved and cooperated with the investigation.
Superintendent Jamie Kemats said that the school district had no formal comment on the matter at this time due to the case's ongoing status. However, she was able to confirm that the coach involved was former wrestling coach Drew Hart, and that the complaint had been made directly to the police department by the parent of the student athlete, who has since graduated.
Kemats said that Hart is no longer employed by the district, nor was he under contract when the complaint was filed in June. She explained that the district structures all coaching contracts to conclude at the end of the pertinent athletic season with new single-season contracts awarded before the start of the next.
"After every season we post the coaching contracts for the next year," Kemats said.
When the report was made in June, the coaching contract for the 2026-2027 wrestling coach had not been posted yet. Kemats also confirmed that Hart did not apply for the coaching position after the contract was posted.
"There was no plan on this person applying again or [the district] taking them," Kemats said.
The board of education approved an athletic supplemental for Patrick Simpson to serve as head boys wrestling coach and Joey Kana to serve as assistant boys wrestling coach for the 2026-2027 school year in its Oct. 19 meeting. Simpson has previously served as the district's head junior high wrestling coach.