Two charges of inappropriate relationships between student and educator against Tate Wallis, a former football coach at Argyle High School and University of North Texas, were dismissed last week.
The charges were dropped by the District Attorney’s office, according to Wallis’ attorneys. The ruling dismissing the charges was signed by Lee Ann Breading, judge for the 462nd District Court of Denton County, on May 26, according to court documents.
“We are pleased by the decision of the District Attorney’s Office to drop the charges against Mr. Wallis,” Wallis’ attorneys Stephanie Luce Ola and Earl Dobson said in a prepared statement. “With a thorough review of the evidence, it became clear to us that the charges made against Mr. Wallis were not supported with facts. We hope that this can help Mr. Wallis move forward and reclaim his reputation as a respectable member of our community.”
Wallis, of Denton, was a coach at Argyle from April 2018 until January 2020, when he left to be the quarterbacks coach for the University of North Texas. In March, after he left AISD, an investigation began when a student alleged that Wallis made inappropriate comments to her and groped her many times during the 2019 football season. Wallis was arrested on Sept. 3, 2020, and he resigned from UNT a week later.
“I am glad that the evidence has shown that the allegations made against me were not based on facts,” Wallis said in a statement. “From the very beginning I worked diligently to clear my name and show that these charges were erroneous. I appreciate the effort of my defense counsel and all of the people who supported me while the evidence was reviewed. I look forward to putting this behind me.”