UnGrooming an Oklahoma Town: Arrest of Alt Ed/Athletic Director & Former Mayor Brent McGee Brings New Victim Forward
UnGrooming an Oklahoma Town: Arrest of Alt Ed/Athletic Director & Former Mayor Brent McGee Brings New Victim Forward
Judicial Injustice: Confessed Pedophile McGee Undercharged Based on DA's Own Affidavit
This article is part of an ongoing series involving Wetumka Public Schools (OK). Previous reporting:
Oct 16, 2023: Public Ed Provides Decades of Access and Protection for Reported Pedophile
Oct 26, 2023: State Board of Education Suspends Teaching Certification of Pedophile Ex-Mayor
Jan 18, 2024: Confessed Pedophile Surrenders Teaching Certifications, Supt Wife to Retire, District Lawyers Up, DA Yet to Arrest
Aug 5, 2024: Wetumka Schools, Athletic Director & Supt Wife Face Federal Civil Lawsuit for Sexual Abuse of Boys
This outlet has been covering the story of Wetumka Public Schools (WPS) confessed pedophile Brent Allen McGee (59) since October of 2023. A McGee survivor named Casey Yochum has been fighting for more than four (4) years to put McGee behind bars for his crimes and expose the role of McGee’s wife, longtime WPS superintendent Donna McGee, in perpetuated the abuse. On August 21st, McGee was arrested.
From previous reporting:
“Brent McGee’s positions of trust as a teacher, coach, athletic director and head of alternative education within public schools have provided him unrestricted access to vulnerable boys while his superintendent wife, Donna McGee, was positioned to prevent any internal investigations into his conduct. McGee’s longtime role as mayor/councilman in Wetumka put him in charge of the local police force, making his arrest for crimes against children unlikely to ever occur.
Beyond their control of the school system and town government, for decades, the McGees have employed teenaged boys within their local Dairy Queen, frequently taking them into their home for extended periods. The McGees have no children of their own.
The Long, Self-Paved Road to Justice for Victims of Public Ed Sexual Abuse
In November of 2020, Yochum secretly recorded a conversation between himself and Brent McGee in which McGee admitted in detail to sexually abusing him as a child while attending Noble Public Schools (OK). Audio provided below:
Yochum shared the recording with law enforcement, and in 2022, with the assistance of the FBI, made a second recording of himself and McGee that revealed further details of McGee’s abuse of Yochum and other students. On August 9, 2022, FBI agents visited Wetumka Schools and demanded McGee step down though evidence shows then superintendent Donna McGee and other WPS staff continued to allow Brent McGee access to students.
Due to Yochum’s age, his case against McGee could not be pursued. Within days of V1SUT’s October 16, 2023 article, two teenaged victims, both prosecutable under state statutes of limitation, reached out to Yochum and provided their stories to the Hughes County Sheriff’s Department.
Despite the published recording of McGee’s confession, many local residents publicly defended the McGees. Yochum was an outsider to this rural community where few control everything, including the town’s Facebook page. The younger victims disclosing abuse by McGee to Sheriff Marcia Maxwell were vilified as kids from the wrong side of the tracks who were falsely accusing McGee for money.
Those seeking truth and supporting McGee’s victims were censored and formed their own community Facebook page, as a battle between those who believe their ears and those unwaveringly groomed by the McGees continues.
Comments such as “innocent until proven guilty” are now met with fierce support for victims in Wetumka’s search for truth:
“ya cause that taped confession is not enough proof. The words coming out of his own mouth saying he did it is not enough proof and the other boys that keep coming forward that just isnt enough proof…We will see if you are there Oct 1 9am (McGee criminal hearing) and then the next date after that and then the next date after that we will be there for the victims because that's how strongly we believe in them” - Wetumka resident (Facebook)
The Hughes County Sheriff’s Department turned the criminal case against Brent McGee over to District Attorney Erik Johnson (R - District 22) for prosecution in December of 2023.
For eight additional months, Brent McGee continued to work side-by-side with potential victims at his Dairy Queen. In the absence of swift criminal justice, on August 2, 2024, Brandon Rhinehart (19) and Zachary Williams (19) filed a federal civil lawsuit against WPS, Brent McGee and Donna McGee for knowingly allowing and perpetuating their abuse by McGee.
In the wake of the civil lawsuit, on August 21, 2024, Brent Allen McGee (59) was arrested on seven (7) counts of child sexual abuse and one (1) count of engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses. Within hours, the Facebook account of DA Johnson posted a press release concerning the arrest:
McGee Charges: 7 Counts for 1000s of Described Criminal Acts?
According to the affidavit and application for arrest warrant (download below), McGee victim Rhinehart was enticed into the McGee home at age 15 while “he was having family problems and didn’t have anywhere else to go”. McGee told Rhinehart he could “put a place over his head, he would always have food, and wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”
As previously reported by Yochum, McGee was obsessed with masturbation and “jacking off” his victims. According to the DA’s affidavit, victim Rhinehart “disclosed these acts would take place three to four times a day and went on for the three and a half years he lived with Defendant - BRENT MCGEE” while victim Williams also disclosed multiple incidents of abuse by McGee.
In total, the disclosures represent thousands of acts of child sexual abuse, yet only seven (7) such counts have been brought against McGee. The affidavit states, “This case was staffed with District 22 District Attorney ERIK JOHNSON, and he agreed to accept the above listed charges.”
On 8/28/24 at 12:13 pm, this outlet sent a request to District 22 Chief Investigator Doug Parker requesting an explanation concerning the charges against McGee. Parker would not comment and referred V1SUT to DA Erik Johnson who has refused to speak with this outlet throughout our coverage despite multiple attempts.
The seven (7) child sexual abuse charges against McGee each carry statutory sentence limits that could result in little prison time. According to state law (21 OK Stat § 843.5.E):
“shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections not exceeding life imprisonment, or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one (1) year, or by a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) nor more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or both”
Similarly, the one (1) count of engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses against McGee carries little justice for victims (§21-425.A):
“shall, upon conviction, be punishable by imprisonment in the Department of Corrections for a term not exceeding two (2) years, or imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding one (1) year, or by a fine in an amount not more than Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00), or by both”
Plea bargains and dropped charges in cases of child sexual abuse by educators are common. In the similar case of now convicted Shawnee coach Ron Arthur, the two most serious charges against Arthur were dropped by Cleveland and then Pottawatomie County DAs despite evidence involving multiple victims. Ultimately, Arthur was sentenced to only five (5) years and a $3,000 fine for sexting with one (1) student. A federal civil case is pending against the district for its knowing failure to protect students from Arthur going back to 2007.
New McGee Victim Comes Forward to UnGroom an Entire Town
Within minutes of McGee’s arrest, another victim stepped forward who would bridge the gap between Yochum (50) and the teenaged plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit against the district. Unlike the primarily underprivileged youth reportedly targeted by McGee, this young man is a well-known, liked and respected Wetumka insider with strong family support. Justin Cote’s story not only provides the link exposing McGee’s lifelong pattern of abusing boys, it will quite possibly ungroom an entire community.
Justin’s Story
Justin Cote (32) grew up in Wetumka and attended WPS from first grade through his graduation in 2010. His step-father Mike Hamilton, the man he calls Dad, was a police officer in Wetumka, as was his grandfather. Hamilton is a current member of the Wetumka City Council. After graduation, as McGee was serving as mayor, Cote worked within both the local police and fire departments and further established enduring relationships throughout the community.
Cote, like Yochum, was an exceptional athlete who began playing football in the town’s WR league, a program McGee was heavily involved with. In 4th grade, another coach gave Cote the nickname ‘Bunny’ after the Energizer Bunny, a moniker common to Cote in Wetumka today. Also like Yochum, Cote states McGee first took a special interest in him as he entered junior high and McGee became his football coach.
Cote describes a period of adolescent defiance concerning his parents that provided an opening for McGee to gain his trust and eventually exploit him. Describing his parents in hindsight as appropriate with discipline and reinforcing of the values of responsibility and hard work, and himself as a then angry adolescent, Cote states McGee began secretly meeting his wants in response to his parents’ discipline and providing things his parents wanted him to earn on his own.
When Cote’s parents took his phone, McGee hired him at the Dairy Queen so he could pay for another phone. McGee began picking Cote up after arguments with his parents, paying his way into local sporting events and even taking him to OU football games.
“I could call him, it could be midnight like coach come get me, I can't handle it here, I don't wanna be here, I'm fighting with my parents, please just come get me and he would come get me and my parents were okay with it because he was my coach. I’d say we were going to work out…that's really where my relationship with Brent really took off was because I was with him all the time.” - Justin Cote
McGee used Cote’s desire to excel in sports to spend a significant amount of time with the boy and gain his trust.
“He (McGee) would say high school’s coming up, you're gonna have to put some weight on. What's the best way to do that? You're always frustrated, let's hit the gym. I hit the gym two or three times a day, mostly just me and Brent…He was always trying to talk me up in sports and tell me how good I am and what I needed to do…He was like you know anytime you want me to go to the gym or whatever call me. I'll come get you. Doesn't matter what time or day because you just need someone to talk to.” - Justin Cote
Like Yochum, Cote became McGee’s sidekick, with Donna McGee also frequently providing transportation to practices and private workout sessions with her husband. Cote says Brent McGee texted and called him constantly, more like a junior high friend than a teacher, coach, boss or mayor. As also expressed by the other victims, Cote says McGee used frequent profanity and talked about “beating off” and “jacking off”, something Cote was then too young to recognize as inappropriate.
“I never looked at it in a negative way because I trusted Brent more than my own my own family then.” - Justin Cote
Cote now recognizes McGee’s grooming behavior as beginning in the locker room, moving to visits at the McGee home and intensifying when Cote became seriously ill with a staph infection that required surgical intervention. Following his recovery, McGee began displaying an obsessive interest in Cote’s hygiene schedule, often insisting he shower in the locker room when only he and McGee were present.
“This is where Brent starts capitalizing. You know he's already got to where he’s constantly calling me and I'm constantly getting him to bring me to the gym.” - Justin Cote
When Cote expressed not wanting to shower in the open area within the school fieldhouse, McGee teased him about being too modest and said he could shower in shorts. McGee purchased Cote hygiene supplies and provided clean towels.
“So I started doing that and then one day it was like I couldn't find my shorts. He (McGee) is like ‘Oh they're in the washer’.” - Justin Cote
Cote states McGee ordered him to shower naked despite his protests. From there, McGee said he had to keep track of the towels and began bringing Cote a towel and talking with him as he showered, desensitizing the youth concerning his modesty.
“He would walk up to me, and he did this several times, and he would be within arms length away from me and he would just stop and kind of stick his hand out a little bit and I'm just standing there like covering myself.” - Justin Cote
Cote recalls regularly doing yard work at the McGee’s home for money, stating McGee would insist he clean off by ‘skinny dipping’ in the couple’s pool before going to work at the Dairy Queen then withholding a towel and cornering him in their pool-house restroom.
According to Cote, McGee would wrestle with Cote in the locker room, frequently attempting to grab the boy’s private parts and stick his thumb in the boy’s anus. Cote witnessed McGee wrestling with other teammates in the same way.
During Cote’s time at WHS, Donna McGee was his HS principal and not yet promoted to district superintendent (2013). Cote states Principal McGee frequently allowed her husband to check him out of class without parental permission to run errands with him off campus.
An Adolescent Mistake Leads to Sexual Exploitation
Cote’s time in high school coincided with the initial wave of teens having smart phones and sharing nude pictures with one another. With McGee constantly texting Cote, he reports accidentally sending such a photo to McGee that was intended for a high school girlfriend. The teen was panicked and feared the mistake would destroy his future. McGee turned the accident on Cote, giving him the nickname “Chuck” and manipulating him into a payment arrangement of $20 for similar photos going forward.
McGee called Cote “Chuck” in front of others at the Dairy Queen and at school, just as he used the nickname “Pablo” for Yochum to signal sexual favors were owed. From previous reporting:
McGee Gives His Victims a Unique Code Name for Expected Sexual Acts
Yochum explained McGee’s use of a specific word, in Yochum’s case “pablo”, used to communicate that his victims owed him a sexual act. According to Yochum, “Brent held me out of soccer games, he used to always call it a ‘pablo’. If I hadn’t been over to his house, he’d be like ‘Where you been, Pablo?’ If you had a certain word with him, mine was Pablo, that’s how I knew I owed something… Things that you needed would be things that he could come up with and give you for a price.”
Cote also states McGee would make hand gestures as though he was masturbating when no one else could see them at work. Cote estimates the child pornography exchange for cash and extra pay on his Dairy Queen paycheck lasted for four years.
“He would basically hit me up, call me Chuck and ask me for some pictures so I'd send it to him and he paid me 20 bucks a piece. He’d say you want a couple extra 20 or 40 bucks or you know 40 or 60 bucks, here, shoot a couple pictures off. If you’re a kid who is wanting to have a social life…that's a massive motivator for teenagers.” - Justin Cote
The exploitation stopped during Cote’s senior year when he quit working at the Dairy Queen and began working for the Wetumka Police.
According to the civil complaint against the McGees and WPS, Donna McGee is believed to have known about Brent McGee’s involvement in child pornography for more than 30 years.
In recent months, Cote reports quietly watching Casey Yochum’s social media, reading details of his reported abuse by McGee and listening to the recording as the familiar voice of Brent McGee admitted to extorting and sexually abusing Yochum as a teen. Memories and trauma collided as Cote struggled to process his own experience with the McGees.
“This guy (Yochum) that I don't know, this big, bald, buff guy that I don't even know is talking about something that my coach that has always been there for me regardless of what time it was or what the issue was, how big or small it was, if I called him or I called Donna (McGee), Brent would be right there if he was able to get to me within any amount of time…I started reading about what Casey had endured, how Brent used his different tactics to be able to gain the trust, that he was able to get away with this for so long. Everything that he was explaining seemed like I was looking in the mirror.”
Cote remembered how McGee had used Yochum’s name as a top athlete formerly under McGee’s wing to groom him and gain his trust, convincing him that with McGee’s help, he could be as good as Yochum. Cote now believes McGee used his name as a similarly exceptional athlete to groom boys younger than himself. After learning teens Williams and Rhinehart had come forward as victims, Cote began to consider how coming forward earlier might have prevented their abuse by McGee. Now processing his own abuse through the mind of an adult, just minutes after McGee’s arrest, Cote reached out to Yochum.
On the following morning, Cote was interviewed by District 22 lead investigator Doug Parker concerning a potential new charge against McGee involving child pornography. Cote also provided the DA’s office with a list of other likely victims close to his age. Immediately after the interview, Cote sat side-by-side with Yochum within a Holdenville courtroom to witness McGee’s warrant hearing.
“Casey's been doing this alone for a very, very long time and had not really made very much headway until those boys came forward. Then once those boys came forward everybody (in Wetumka) is like it's not real, they're lying, I don't believe them. That’s why I had to come forward.” - Justin Cote
Like most boys who experience sexual abuse and exploitation, prior to McGee’s arrest, Cote had not confided in his family about McGee’s behavior. Over the last several years, including as the FBI visited Wetumka schools concerning McGee, Cote’s mother has worked as a teacher’s aide under Donna McGee’s supervision. Still, she had no idea Brent McGee had sexually exploited her son.
Cote’s believes all of Wetumka was fully groomed by the McGees, making it even more important to come forward on behalf of all of McGee’s victims, known and unknown.
“I'm doing this because none of these other guys want to come forward because Brent has a hold over these people… Brent’s done a lot of good for that town and a lot of good for a bunch of kids but he was doing it for the wrong reasons. He wasn't doing it to be a good person. He was doing it because he’s an ******* child predator.” - Justin Cote
McGee was released on a $250,000 bond and will make his next appearance in District 22 Court in Holdenville on October 15, 2024, at 9 am. Cote’s encourages residents to be present in support of all victims.
Victim Support: Casey Yochum continues to coordinate a brotherhood of support for victims as they seek justice. “There’s kids, kids in their 20s, kids in their teens that have been affected by this monster…If we save one child it’s worth it, if we save two children, we’re moving mountains,” states Yochum. Contact him by email: caseyyochum@gmail.com.
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I’m glad that more boys have come forward, but very disappointed that the residents who don’t believe the boys when ther overwhelmely evidence.
Outstanding investigative reporting!