HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. — A former Indianapolis high school wrestling coach and Hendricks County substitute teacher reportedly admitted to having sex with a 17-year-old student before his recent arrest for child seduction.
Quinton L. Harris, 27, was arrested Monday at a home in Plainfield on an active arrest warrant charging him with child seduction. He has since been booked into the Hendricks County Jail and is now being held without bond.
Harris was a wrestling coach at Ben Davis High School and a substitute teacher and coach at Cascade High School intermittently for the last five years.
The arrest stems from allegations by a former Cascade student who said she and Harris had sexual relations when she was 17.
Child seduction allegations
Court documents filed last week in Hendricks County detail how the victim made a delayed child seduction report to police on July 5 - stating that she and Harris had a "sexual relationship" between February and April of 2022.
The victim told police Harris added her on Snapchat after they met in 2022 while he was subbing in one of her classes. After turning the conversations sexual and "sexting" with the student, Harris allegedly invited her to his father's house in Avon.
Police said the victim was able to accurately describe Harris' bedroom in detail, including a large Grateful Dead-style poster covering the window and a "massive pile of laundry" in the corner. She told detectives she and Harris did "everything except sex" during four visits to the house.
During her police interview, the victim said Harris was no longer at Cascade and was now a wrestling coach at Ben Davis. She also provided police with Harris' Snapchat name and phone number after saying she feared he would try and seduce another underage student.
Detectives spoke with Cascade administration, who confirmed that Harris was issued a substitute permit through the State of Indiana on Dec. 14, 2021, and had been consistently employed at the high school through the Spring 2022 semester. He was also an athletic coach as well.
Admission and arrest
After investigating Harris further, detectives found him working at an Indianapolis furniture store and brought him in for an interview. Before speaking with detectives, Harris reportedly provided a phone number and Snapchat name that matched what the victim had said.
Court documents detail how Harris "quickly stated no" after being asked if he knew the victim. Then, Harris reportedly backpedaled and said she was his student at Cascade and that they had texted each other in the past.
When asked if they had seen each other outside of school, Harris reportedly admitted to meeting up with the victim when she was 18. However, the victim provided a different story.
"She said that Harris knew she was not 18 because she was a junior in high school," court docs show. "[The victim] also said [Harris] made comments such as 'you're going to be 18 soon' or 'can't you just be 18 already."
When pressed further, Harris reportedly admitted to having sex acts with the victim during four visits at his dad's house in the Spring of 2022 - exactly matching what the victim said. According to police, the victim would not have turned 18 until the Fall of 2022.
"[Harris stated that the first time they hung out nothing happened, the second time they kissed, the third and fourth time they had sex," court docs read.
Based on the victim's allegations and Harris' admission, Avon Police requested an arrest warrant on Aug. 6 charging him with two counts of Felony 5 child seduction. He was then arrested on Aug. 12 by Hendricks County Sheriff's Deputies.
An initial hearing in Harris’ case was held at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. A pretrial conference is now scheduled for 10 a.m. on Oct. 2 in Hendricks Superior Court 5.
Cascade HS response
The Mill Creek Community School Corporation confirmed that Harris worked at Cascade HS in a message to parents on Tuesday.
“Like you, I am deeply troubled by these allegations. Mr. Harris resigned from his position last February. The school corporation will fully cooperate with law enforcement officials as they conduct their investigation. If you have any information that could be related to this case, please contact the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department at (317) 745-6269.
Some in our community may understandably question the school corporation’s hiring practices and how something like this could happen. Please know that the individual in question passed all criminal and other background checks required during the hiring process. However, as a district, we will continue to review our human resources practices and address any potential areas of concern.
While there is little else we can share at this time, please know that the safety and security of our students is our top priority. If you or your child need extra support, please know that our school counselors are always available.”
– Superintendent Jim Diagostino, Ed.S.
Ben Davis response
Ben Davis High School said Tuesday that after becoming aware of the allegations against Harris, the administration took "immediate action" and placed him on leave. Wayne Township said in a statement Tuesday that Harris was intermittently employed from 2019 to 2024 as a lay coach.
"Our standard background checks, conducted every two years, did not reveal any issues of concern," the statement read. "Upon learning of these allegations, we took immediate action and placed the coach on leave."
The school district said that after being placed on leave, Harris resigned from his position as coach and is "no longer employed by the District in any capacity."
"At this time, we are not aware of any allegations involving our students," they said. "We take these allegations very seriously and encourage students to notify their school administrator of any information or concerns."