Former Jones County football coach accepts plea deal to tax evasion after months-long investigation
Mike Chastain was head football coach of the Greyhounds from 2019 until his resignation January 31, 2025
GRAY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A months-long investigation into the Jones County High School football program concluded with a plea deal from former head coach Mike Chastain, who has repaid $24,500 to the Jones County Touchdown Club as part of a negotiated plea deal with Ocmulgee District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale III.
The investigation began in January 2025 after a Gray-area bank alerted the touchdown club’s treasurer that the club’s account was overdrawn. Law enforcement launched an inquiry that uncovered suspicious financial activity going all the way back to March 2022.
According to the local district attorney, Chastain created an online account and began issuing monthly payments of $700 to himself from the touchdown club’s funds, without approval or oversight. These unauthorized payments continued through January 2025.
“There were procedures in place where the head coach should not have had access to the account, and he did,” the district attorney said. It is common practice that the head coach does not have access to football club funds. He added that other coaches were required to submit monthly financial statements, a standard from which Chastain was exempt from by former Jones County Athletic Director Chad Alligood, who also resigned from his position the same day as Chastian.
Investigations revealed during this time, one check for a small amount was given to Alligood signed off by Chastain, according to the district attorney.
Investigators also uncovered emails and physical documents, including a fundraising pamphlet circulated in the community. The pamphlet outlined intended uses for donations, such as helmets, food, and field materials, but made no mention of compensation for coaches. Additionally, authorities discovered Chastain failed to report the payments on his tax returns, resulting in a charge of tax evasion.
In May or June, prosecutors presented the evidence to Chastain’s attorney, who was hired before criminal charges were presented, and offered a resolution: one count of tax evasion, five years of probation, that would be terminable upon full repayment, and restitution of $24,500. Chastain accepted the offer and appeared in court with a cashier’s check for the full amount on Friday morning, even before the DA could send an indictment, as he entered a guilty plea under Alford, which is also known as a best interest plea.
The district attorney criticized former athletic director Alligood for failing to enforce accountability measures. “Other head coaches were submitting documentation,” he said. “Football was the outlier.” Both Chastain and the athletic director resigned around the time the investigation began, which the DA called “more than a coincidence.”
Records show that on January 31, 2025, Alligood and Chastain signed resignation agreements effective June 30, 2025. The agreements, obtained March 6 through an open records request, stated that both men would stop reporting to campus on February 3 but would continue receiving full salary and supplements through the end of June, with all time credited to the Teachers Retirement System. Neither used sick leave during that period.
Despite identifying negligence by school officials, the DA said the plea agreement allows the program to move forward. “Mike Chastain no longer lives in Jones County. Mike Chastain is no longer in education,” he said. “The program has been made whole.”
Jones County Touchdown Club President Brian Wall accepted the restitution on behalf of the organization Friday morning. 41NBC has reached out to Wall but has not heard back.
41NBC has also reached out to Chastain but we have not heard back.
Alligood announced his retirement from sports after 30 years on February 21. Superintendent Charles Lundy also resigned at the end of the school year after two years.
Public speculation started back in January when a school board meeting of Chastain and Alligood was posted on social media. The meeting came right after the community expressed concern that Jones County football Defensive Coordinator Will Conner was fired for “insubordination”, according to Chastain.
Justin Montgomery, who worked under Chastain for a year at Warner Robins, was hired at a Jones County Board meeting February 11 as the Greyhounds new football head coach. Charles David was introduced as the new Jones County Athletic Director on April 16.
“There’s value in somebody accepting responsibility early,” the DA added. “And when Jones County kicks off tonight against Mary Persons, it’s a brand new day.”
Jones County will host Mary Persons on Friday, August 8, at 7:30 p.m. at Greyhound Field.
