A substitute teacher and assistant football coach at Park Hill South High School has been charged with attempted sexual contact with a student. Dillon D. Thomas allegedly asked a 17-year-old student to perform a sexual act in February.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said the charges were filed May 31, following an investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department and Missouri’s Children’s Division. A warrant for his arrest was issued on Monday, June 3. Cash-only bond has been set at $7,500 with conditions of no contact with the victim and no entry to Park Hill district property.
According to court documents, the parents of a 17-year-old female high school junior allegedly found concerning text messages between their daughter and someone with the contact information “DT,” whom they believed to be Thomas.
Thomas was a substitute teacher and assistant football coach. The victim said she first met Thomas while at a sports practice.
Court documents allege Thomas contacted her via Instagram, telling her she was attractive and saying he wished she was not in high school. Thomas allegedly asked how old she was and then said “maybe he shouldn’t be talking to her.”
Upon forensic investigation of the victim’s phone, police found more than 1,200 incoming and 1,200 outgoing interactions between the victim and “DT” from November 2023 through March 2024.
Court documents indicate the victim told authorities that her conversation with Thomas became more inappropriate and Thomas asked her to perform a sex act. Later, Thomas allegedly contacted the victim, told her people knew they had been talking and instructed her to “delete everything.”
The charge against Thomas is a misdemeanor, and he faces up to one year in jail if convicted.
The victim said they planned to meet several times but never did, though “DT” offered to take the victim out to dinner and mused if the back seat of his car was large enough for sexual activities.
The victim said they never exchanged illicit photos, and “DT” refused to send her any pictures of his face. The victim was told not to save his name in her contacts and she changed her SnapChat settings to delete messages immediately.
Once, the victim asked “DT” for a ride and he responded she would need to perform a sexual act in return for the favor.
The victim’s ex-boyfriend was also interviewed and said he had seen inappropriate text messages between the victim and “DT.”
Thomas was contacted by the sheriff’s office and agreed to participate in an interview in April. He did not show up at the scheduled time and later told police he intended to contact an attorney.
Zahnd said there was no evidence Thomas had any sexual contact with the student.
“Still, any allegation of a teacher even attempting to have sexual contact with a student is a very serious matter,” he said. “We rely on teachers to keep young people safe, and any potential violation of that trusted relationship is disturbing.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Blake Sherer.