A Mingo County grand jury this week indicted Robert Tyler Hodge on 30 counts tied to money raised for the Tug Valley High School basketball program, putting a new criminal case around donations meant for students and their team. Hodge, a Mingo County businessman and assistant basketball coach at Tug Valley High School, was arrested Friday by the Mingo County Sheriff’s office and is free on bond.
The indictment includes 13 counts of computer fraud, 12 counts of unauthorized use of an access device, two counts of obtaining money by false pretenses, two counts of fraudulent schemes and one count of money laundering. Prosecutors say the allegations center on $5,990 raised through donations for the basketball program, money that was first placed in the Panther Pride bank account.
That amount was not large in the scale of public corruption cases, but it was specific, traceable and tied to a school sports program that depends on trust from parents, boosters and the wider community. The indictment says Hodge later withdrew the funds and directed them into a business account for a grocery store he owned, while also making fraudulent purchases at stores, restaurants and online retailers.
The school district has moved quickly to distance itself from the allegations without pretending they are minor. It said it was aware of the indictment involving an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Tug Valley High School and called the allegations deeply concerning and alarming. The district also said its main focus is supporting students and keeping extracurricular programs operating with integrity, accountability and transparency.
What gives the case its friction is that the school system is treating it as a live criminal matter while Hodge remains free on bond. The district said it would keep monitoring the situation and take any action required under law and district policy, but it added that no further comment would be issued because the case is still active. For now, prosecutors will have to show how the donations moved, what purchases were made and whether the paper trail is strong enough to support every count in the indictment.
