Greer Police Department
Erie Williams, Riverside High School Head Football Coach and Special Education aid
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Erie Jarod Williams, 39, of Simpsonville, is charged with sexual battery with a 16-year-old, according to the GPD warrant. Williams was named Riverside head coach in April 2020. The incident is alleged to have happened in 2016 while Williams was employed at Greer High School.
Williams is accused of having the sexual encounter with a student in a bathroom of a classroom, according to the arrest warrant. Williams was arrested Tuesday night and charged with sexual battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He has been released on bond.
Greer police were contacted on April 17 by Greenville County School officials and conducted an investigation.
Williams on or about Jan. 1, 2016, committed sex/sexual battery with a student 16 or 17 years of age, no aggravated force or coercion, according to the GPD warrants.
One warrant charges Williams engaged in sexual battery with the minor victim, age 16, during the 2016 school year while he was employed as a special education aid and coach at Greer High School. The victim on at least one occasion performed oral sex on Williams inside the bathroom of the classroom where Williams had a desk at the school, the warrant stated.
A second charge alleges Williams encouraged, aided or caused the minor to become habitually truant from Greer High School. Williams allegedly prearranged his absence and the minor victim to skip school on multiple occasions during the 2016-2017 school year in furtherance of an ongoing sexual relationship thus endangering her morals, according to a warrant.
Williams has been on administrative leave since April 22 and he has not been allowed on Riverside’s or any Greenville County School campus.
“On April 17th our agency was contacted by the Greenville County School District concerning information they had received concerning a teacher/coach that may have had an inappropriate relationship with a former student. Detectives with our agency immediately began an investigation into the alleged incident and were able to obtain warrants on Erie Jarod Williams,” according to the GPD.
The GPD report included Williams’s charges:
• Sex / Sexual Battery with a Student 16 or 17 years of age, no aggravated force or coercion (2 Counts).
• Minor / Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.
Greenville County Schools released the following statement and information on Williams.
“Erie Williams, Riverside High School football coach/Assistant AD/behavior interventionist, was charged by the Greer Police with sexual battery Tuesday evening. These charges stem from an investigation launched in April after a former Greer High student alleged, she and Williams had an inappropriate relationship during his tenure at Greer High. Upon learning of the allegations (April 22) Williams was placed on administrative leave. He has not been allowed on a GCS campus since his leave began. The GCS administration will make a determination about Williams’ employment as soon as soon as the district reviews the evidence compiled by the Greer Police."
Williams was entered into the National Crime Information Center, a database for tracking crime-related information.
Williams spent 14 years as an assistant coach at Greer High School, his alma mater. He was elected to the Greer Athletic Hall of Fame, class of 2000.