Wetumka Schools, Athletic Director & Supt Wife Face Federal Civil Lawsuit for Sexual Abuse of Boys
Wetumka Schools, Athletic Director & Supt Wife Face Federal Civil Lawsuit for Sexual Abuse of Boys
Despite Audio Confession & Multiple Victim Disclosures, Still No Criminal Charges from DA Erik Johnson
Wetumka, a rural town of only 1,135 residents in Hughes County, Oklahoma, held a dark secret for a very long time. For decades, Wetumka Public Schools (WPS) has been an unsafe place for boys. Since October of 2023, this publication has reported on accusations of sexual abuse spanning more than 30 years involving Brent Allen McGee (59).
Links to previous reporting:
McGee was WPS’s longtime alternative education teacher, athletic director and multi-sport coach. McGee was also mayor of Wetumka for many years, and his wife Donna McGee (60) has been the district’s longtime superintendent.
The McGees, also owners of the local Dairy Queen, were Wetumka’s unofficial first couple. Though the McGees have no biological children of their own, they were widely known for employing and taking under-privileged, male teens into their home. The pattern continued for generations until a man named Casey Yochum released an audio recording that changed everything. From previous reporting:
After entering counseling, Yochum, a former Army combat medic and fireman, took action. On November 28th, 2020, Yochum secretly recorded a conversation between himself and McGee in which McGee admitted in detail to abusing him as a child.
Recorded conversation between Brent McGee and Casey Yochum (see previous reporting for context):
As a result of the recording, the FBI became involved, McGee officially stepped down from his positions at WPS, and a criminal investigation headed by the Hughes County Sheriff’s Department was initiated.
Following a public statement by Yochum on October 26, 2023, the State Board of Education voted to suspend McGee’s teaching certifications. Shortly after, McGee voluntarily surrendered his credentials.
On November 6, 2023, Donna McGee recommended and the WPS School Board voted to retain the legal services of the Center for Education Law. The legal firm is known for defending districts accused of perpetuating the abuse of students including nearby Shawnee Public Schools. Donna McGee retired from WPS at the end of the 2023-2024 school year with full teacher’s retirement benefits.
Criminal Case Against McGee Stalls With DA Erik Johnson & Chief Investigator Doug Parker: Victims Face Retaliation
In December of 2023, Hughes County Sheriff Marcia Maxwell provided District Attorney Erik Johnson (OK Judicial District 22) with her agency’s completed criminal investigation which included detailed disclosures from multiple, additional McGee victims.
The case was assigned to District 22 Chief Investigator Doug Parker. Parker was recently selected as 2024 DA Investigator of the Year by the State of Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, yet nearly nine months has passed and no charges have been brought against McGee.
According to DA Johnson (The Ada News), “Doug (Parker) has been a presenter at numerous law enforcement trainings, including teaching a course on the investigation of child sexual abuse cases to district attorneys offices across the state at the Summer Annual Conference in Tulsa this month (July 2024).”
As confessed pedophile McGee continues to employ teen boys at the couple’s Dairy Queen, establishment awards and training for other counties appear to have taken precedence over the immediate public safety concerns of DA Erik Johnson’s district. In keeping with a growing trend, Oklahoma’s public school victims were again left to seek protection and justice through civil actions within federal court.
According to the complaint:
“Both of these Plaintiffs have reported Brent McGee’s crimes, and Donna McGee’s tolerance of them, to the Hughes County Sheriff’s Office. Despite this report, and the recordings from Yochum, no charges have been filed against the McGees. Following the Plaintiffs’ reporting, they continue to get harassed in their personal and business lives.”
Federal Civil Suit Outlines District’s Failure to Protect Students Even After McGee “Stepped Down”
In the absence of protection from WPS or the local prosecutor, two brave, young survivors have acted on behalf of many other suspected victims. On August 2, 2024, a civil suit was filed against Wetumka Public Schools within the US District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The action names WPS, Donna McGee and Brent McGee as defendants. Plaintiffs Brandon Rhinehart (19) and Zachary Williams (19) are both former WPS students who previously stayed within the McGee household.
Download civil complaint document:
The complaint as filed describes a pattern of Brent McGee steering his victims into the district’s Alternative Education (Alt Ed) program, which he ran within a separate building, as staff ignored his openly inappropriate behavior with male students. From Alt Ed, McGee controlled his victims, even taking them off campus during the school day to molest them. McGee’s wife, as the highest ranking administrator in the district, was responsible for structuring the Alt Ed program to allow and perpetuate her husband’s abuse of the community’s most vulnerable boys.
According to the complaint filing:
“Defendant Brent McGee has a long history of grooming and sexually abusing boys. Donna McGee appears to have been complicit in this abuse – failing to take any action over the years despite knowing about the abuse.”
“Over the years, including while Plaintiffs were students in the District, Brent McGee used his position as the head of the alternative education program and as leader of the athletics department, as well as his ownership of the Dairy Queen, to influence boys to stay in his sphere. McGee has provided food, gifts, and multiple cars to multiple boys. McGee strove to portray himself to the community as a man who was a hero for taking care of underprivileged kids. In reality, however, McGee used his influence and these gifts to groom boys in order to initiate or perpetuate sexual abuse.”
“Wetumka Public Schools defines sexual harassment as conduct of a sexual nature which may include verbal or physical sexual advances including touching, pinching, patting, comments of a sexual nature and sexually oriented kidding, teaching or jokes, demeaning comments and requests for sexual favors. Brent McGee engaged in all of these harassing behaviors, both on and off campus, with Wetumka students, including the Plaintiffs. And the District Superintendent and other adults working at the School observed Brent McGee’s inappropriate behavior but failed to intervene.”
“While Plaintiff Rhinehart was supposed to be in class, Brent McGee would take Rhinehart off campus to go to Sam’s to purchase products for the Wetumka High School’s concession stand. While on these outings, Brent McGee would molest Rhinehart by grabbing his genitals with his hands and stimulating ejaculation.”
The complaint further describes how McGee exploited the circumstances of both plaintiffs to lure them into the McGee home for extended periods of time where the sexual abuse was non-stop. In keeping with the modus operandi described by Yochum as occurring nearly 30 years prior, McGee gave each boy a nickname that he used to signal when sexual favors were due in exchange for the things the McGee’s were providing.
Donna McGee is identified as knowingly failing to protect her husband’s victims, and the McGees’ marriage appears to be a convincing cover for perpetuating child sexual abuse.
According to the complaint filing:
“Donna McGee was also aware of Brent McGee’s prior acts of sexual abuse against children. It is believed that Donna McGee found a box full of photos of naked boys under Brent McGee’s bed while they were both still at Noble Public Schools, decades before the abuse at issue here, but took no action to protect children.”
“The McGees did not sleep in the same bedroom. Despite this, much of this abuse occurred in Donna McGee’s own home while Donna McGee was home. Brent McGee would walk into the bathroom while boys were undressing and showering. Brent McGee would enter the boys’ bedrooms at all times of the night and day and threw a temper tantrum if someone locked a door.”
Publicly available on Facebook page of Brent McGee. “Plaintiff Rhinehart’s abuse by Brent McGee began when Rhinehart was in 7th grade. Around this time, Brent McGee encouraged Plaintiff Rhinehart to move in with the McGees as Rhinehart’s living situation was unstable. Ultimately, Rhinehart resided with the McGees for several years.”
“While Rhinehart was living in the McGee home, Brent McGee would sexually molest Rhinehart on a daily basis, often touching Rhinehart’s genitals three to four times a day.”
“The McGees moved other minor boys into their home as well, including but not limited to, Plaintiff Williams.”
“Williams’ experience in the McGee home was similar to Plaintiff Rhinehart’s. Brent McGee would start with trying to wrestle or tickle Williams. McGee then would touch Williams’ genitals. Williams would move to stop the touch, move to avoid further touching, and tell McGee no. Despite this, McGee would continue his abuse of Williams.”
Both Rhinehart and Williams were forced to leave WPS prior to graduation in order to escape the abuse by McGee. The complaint implicates several additional WPS staff members in failing to take action to report known abuse by McGee, identify affected students or protect WPS children even after the FBI visited the district on August 9, 2022, and McGee stepped down from his official employment at the district.
According to the complaint filing:
“Plaintiff Rhinehart disclosed this abuse to Jennifer Fricke, the School secretary when he was in middle school. Fricke promised to protect Rhinehart from Brent McGee. She apparently did not report McGee’s abuse to DHS as legally required.”
“On August 9, 2022, the FBI met at the Wetumka Public Schools with Donna McGee, Brent McGee and High School Principal Darrell Reid. The FBI informed these individuals that Brent McGee had to stay away from children.”
“Following the FBI visit, Brent McGee resigned as a teacher, but continued to coach Wetumka students, perhaps in an unofficial capacity. He continued to be present on the campus around students at sports games and events.”
“Following this FBI meeting, High School Principal Darrell Reid had a meeting with the staff at the High School. He encouraged staff to protect Donna McGee. He compared her experience to his own as his wife had been convicted of a sex crime and was required to register as a sex offender. On information and belief, Reid took no action to inform staff how to protect children, to educate them as to their responsibilities if any students reported abuse, or investigated which students could have been affected by McGee’s behavior in order to assist them.”
“Despite the fact that District staff knew of the sexual abuse Plaintiffs experienced, no safety measures or interim accommodations were put in place to address their fears and anxiety about attending school with their assailant. Perhaps most glaring, the District permitted Brent McGee to be present on school grounds even after he resigned and allegations of his serial abuse of boys were widely known.”
“By November 3, 2023, Plaintiff Zachary Williams had had enough. During the Wetumka football “Senior Night” game, Zachary began screaming at Donna McGee that Brent McGee had raped him. This incident was witnessed by other players, other Wetumka Public School staff, other fans, and law enforcement. Donna McGee’s response was to tell Zachary to “calm down.” Plaintiff Williams did not return to School following this event.”
The complaint demands a trial by jury and sites multiple causes of action on behalf of plaintiffs Rhinehart and Williams, including liability under Title IX (discrimination & retaliation), civil rights claims under the 14th Amendment (substantive due process & supervisory liability involving Donna McGee), and negligence involving both Brent and Donna McGee.
OK’s Statutes of Limitation Prohibit Most Victims from Taking Action When Schools Knowingly Fail to Protect Students
Plaintiffs in the federal suit are represented by attorney Laurie Koller of Koller Trial Law, who specializes in advocating for child victims of sexual abuse. While Koller cannot currently discuss the case, she expressed her concern for survivors of child sexual abuse in Oklahoma, due to filing restrictions few understand.
“It is a shame that Oklahoma’s strict time limits for filing lawsuits favors institutions that protect predators over childhood sexual abuse survivors,” states Laurie Koller.
While a 2017 change to Oklahoma law concerning both criminal and civil procedures amended the statutes of limitation to allow legal remedies for victims of child sexual abuse up to age 45, the change is not considered to be retroactive. As such, abuse that occurred prior to 2017 would be subject to limitations in place at the time of those crimes.
Further limiting for victims of child sexual abuse under Oklahoma’s Title 12 § 95 (Civil Procedures), civil actions against institutions such as school districts must be filed within a 2-year window of the crime or of the victim reaching the age of majority (18). Given survivors of child sexual abuse are frequently incapable of disclosing their victimization as children or teens, actions against institutions are infrequent.
The V1SUT Vantage will continue to follow this fight to protect the boys of Wetumka. Have a tip or information you’d like to share? Comment publicly to this post or email privately (connect@v1sut.com).
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There was also a woman teacher at WHS who evidently slept with underage boys all throughout the 90s and possibly beyond