Former Renton track runner says Des Moines coach’s arrest triggers disturbing memories

KING COUNTY, Wash. — A former Renton High School track runner said the arrest of Mount Rainier High School teacher and track coach Jeffrey Blount has triggered disturbing memories from Blount’s time as a coach at her high school in the early 2000s.

“Honestly, I wasn’t surprised at all,” said the former Renton High School student, now an adult, who did not want to be publicly identified. “I felt like at some point this was going to come out and at some point he was going to get caught.”

That former student-athlete recalled being driven home by Blount during her junior year of high school.

“In that car ride, he put his arm around me and said, ‘you know that I love you,’” she said, describing this encounter and previous alleged comments as grooming. “And that’s when I knew this is just so wrong, this is off; after that I kept my distance.”

She said she’s spoken with two other former Renton High School students, younger than her at the time, who recently shared their own memories of Blount.

“They said, ‘Oh yeah, he invited a few of us to his house,” she said. “He would always give us long stretches or massages.”

Prosecutors say Blount’s alleged criminal behavior with students in Des Moines happened between March 2018 and June 2019, both inside and outside his Mount Rainier High School classroom and involved inappropriate touching, comments, requests and visits by students to his home.

Blount, who’s charged with four counts of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, was arrested and has since bonded out of jail.

The Renton School District told KIRO 7 it had no similar formal complaints on file for Blount who worked in that district from 2001 to 2004.

Prosecutors said Blount had been accused of “sexual misconduct” by another female athlete in 2017.

According to charging papers, investigators said the student, who Blount allegedly touched inappropriately, “declined to assist with prosecution, and charges were not filed.”

Highline Public Schools released this statement to KIRO 7:

“As soon as we learned of allegations against Jeffrey Blount, we immediately put him on paid administrative leave starting May 1, 2019. Highline Public Schools and Des Moines Police investigated. Mr. Blount will not return to any Highline school or position. We have made a report to the Office of Professional Practice at OSPI.”

Blount’s attorney could not be reached for comment.

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