I-Team Investigation Leads To Criminal Case Dismissal Against Coach

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BURLESON (CBSDFW.COM) - An investigation by the CBS 11's I-Team has resulted in a criminal case being dropped against a popular North Texas coach of young girls.

The Alvarado Police Department had pursued a Class A misdemeanor charge against the coach, Jessica Curs, alleging she tried to evade arrest after cursing the department's off-duty captain during a basketball game between third-graders.

Curs denied the charge. And the I-Team found documents, and interviewed a referee, that drew into question whether the coach attempted to flee the plain-clothed policeman.

"Your reporting caused us to take a closer look at the case," Johnson County Attorney Bill Moore told the I-Team. "Just based on a thorough review of it, I don't think an offense was committed," Moore said, adding: "I'm not going to file the case."

Moore's decision came as Alvarado police, who have repeatedly declined to comment to the I-Team, took to social media to comment on their handling of the case.

♦♦♦ Read The Entire Alvarado Police Department Press Release Below ♦♦♦
*** WARNING: Some May Find Language Offensive ***

Their Facebook post begins with, "warning, language may not be suitable for everyone." It then goes on to say Curs, coaching her Burleson players in a game with their rival team from Alvarado, allegedly screamed a word beginning with a "D" in a school gym.

That, the post said, caused "numerous parents to rise to their feet … demanding action" against Curs.

The coach, in an exclusive interview with the I-Team, denied cursing at off-duty Alvarado police Capt. Gary Melson, who subsequently grabbed Curs' arm in an attempt to lead her off the basketball court. Curs pulled away from Melson, initially unaware that he was a police officer because he was in civilian clothes.

Before it was taken down, the Alvarado police Facebook post didn't say why Melson was at the game, or why, if there was a problem, he did not summon Andy Love, the game's referee.

In an exclusive interview, Love told the I-Team: "I saw and heard nothing that would warrant a police officer even coming onto the court."

Alvarado police, on Facebook, also did not mention that Burleson police were called to the scene, and later wrote a report that said Melson "didn't want a citation issued, but just wanted the issue to be resolved."

More than two months after the game, in May, Curs was issued an arrest warrant, accusing her of evading arrest, resulting in her turning herself in and spending six hours in the Johnson County Jail.

County Attorney Moore said his office was preparing to file formal charges against Curs, but decided to drop the case after learning what the I-Team had uncovered. "We're lucky you came in," he told a member of the I-Team.

Curs' attorneys, after learning the case had been dropped, issued this statement:

"We are glad to learn the case against our client has been dropped. Our client did absolutely nothing wrong, and we are happy that cooler heads have prevailed.
We ask that everyone respect our client's privacy at this time."

♦♦♦ Read The Alvarado Police Department Press Release ♦♦♦

If you want to reach CBS 11′s Senior Investigative Producer Jack Douglas Jr., you can email him at jdouglas@cbs.com. If you want to reach CBS 11′s Jason Allen, you can email him at jmallen@cbs.com.

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