Two new names appear in the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s database of banned individuals: Devan Tunnell and John Hopkins.
Devan Tunnell – Banks, OR
Tunnell was banned on June 13. His entry in the SafeSport database is currently listed as “ineligible,” meaning he is permanently banned, but the window for an appeal remains open. His ban is listed for the violation of “criminal disposition – sexual misconduct” with the “subject to appeal / not yet final” designation.
A LinkedIn profile shows a Devan Tunnell who is an “aquatics specialist” at the Forest Grove Aquatic Center in the Portland, Oregon area. A summer swimming schedule from last year also includes a Devan Tunnell with that title, though he does not appear on the new schedule for this summer. A spokesperson for the Aquatic Center said that Tunnell is “no longer employed by the City of Forest Grove,” calling the matter a “personnel issue” and saying the Aquatic Center had no further information.
John Hopkins – Franklin, OH
John Austin Hopkins was arrested and indicted in mid-June. A grand jury in Ohio indicted him on 36 counts of gross sexual imposition involving 28 first grade girls. Hopkins was a former swim coach at Coffman YMCA and a teacher at Clearcreek Elementary School and Springboro Intermediate School in Springboro, Ohio. Prosecutors say security camera footage from one of the schools where Hopkins taught caught him groping young girls and placing them on his lap.
Hopkins was added to the SafeSport database on July 1. His entry is currently listed as “ineligible,” which means he is permanently banned, but that the window for an appeal remains open. His entry lists him as being from Franklin, Ohio, and his violation is “criminal disposition – involving a minor” with the “subject to appeal / not yet final” designation.
28 first grade girls?!?? What a creep!