Jess Dooley: High School Coach Suspended For Wanting To ‘Burn Down’ Memories Pizza
Jess Dooley, a girls golf coach at Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana, has been suspended for a tweet she sent after news broke about a nearby pizza joint not serving gay and lesbian customers.
According to ABC 57, Dooley posted on her Twitter account that she had plans to “burn down” Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, after a news report showed that they were the first business in the state to say they wouldn’t cater to gay weddings, since it violated their religious beliefs. She also called on her followers to join her.
Both the tweet and Dooley’s account have since been deleted, but her comment can be viewed in the screen shot below.
Superintendent Wayne Stubbs confirmed in an email sent to to WNDU 16 that Jess Dooley was placed on suspension until the conclusion of an investigation into her comment. The school’s district later issued a statement saying it does not condone “the active promotion of illegal violence.”
“On March 31, Jessica Dooley, a Concord High School athletic coach stepped outside that boundary, when on her Twitter feed she advocated for the burning down of a business located in neighboring St. Joseph County. That feed is followed by many Concord High School students, including athletes on her teams. Ms. Dooley admitted making this statement and she was suspended without pay pending the completion of Concord Community Schools’ investigation. Law enforcement authorities are also investigating this matter.”
The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a statement that it has received police reports from the Walkerton Police Department in regards to Jess Dooley’s tweet. Even though Dooley confirmed sending the tweet, she cannot be charged with anything until there is some “further investigation.”
“This requested further investigation includes the authentication of the poster’s identification, IP address, etc.”
Jess Dooley was named the head girls golf coach in June of last year, according to a statement on the school’s website. Dooley had golfed at the University of Southern Indiana, and served two years as an assistant coach for its program after she graduated.
Update: The announcement of Dooley’s hiring has since been removed from the school’s page.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, since coming forward on its stance on gay marriage, Memories Pizza has temporarily shut its doors due to the overwhelming amount of death threats and negative Yelp reviews it has received. A GoFundMe page has launched for the pizza place, and at the time of this post, $299,260 has been raised.
[Image via Twitter]
