Lawsuit alleges Celina ISD covered up misconduct by former coach

CELINA, Texas - Attorneys representing 17 families who filed a new civil lawsuit against the Celina ISD and former middle school coach Caleb Elliott sharply criticized the Celina Police Department on Wednesday, accusing investigators of prematurely closing their inquiry and overlooking evidence that others may have known about Elliott’s alleged misconduct.

Police investigation called "premature"

What we know:

The lawsuit is the fourth civil action filed since Elliott’s October arrest on state and federal charges related to secretly recording boys in a locker room and alleges the district showed "conscious indifference" and failed to stop a "known predator." Attorneys say they now represent a group of families separate from those who sued previously.

The families in the suit are different than those who have sued in the past.

Allegations of shared photos

State Rep. Mitch Little, one of the attorneys leading the case, said new information uncovered through civil subpoenas and witnesses suggests Elliott may have shared photos and videos of children with unknown individuals through Snapchat.

"There are subpoenas currently out to Snapchat in connection with the transmission of photos and videos of our children to persons unknown," Little said. "Maybe in the United States. Maybe outside the United States."

Little and attorneys Jack Walker and Quentin Brogdon also cited what they described as "very good evidence" of a prior confrontation between Elliott and another coach at Moore Middle School over earlier attempts to record or photograph children in the locker room — an incident they say had multiple witnesses and occurred well before the alleged crimes that led to his arrest.

The attorneys claim Elliott, the son of state championship-winning former Celina High School football coach Bill Elliott, was at one point banned from the middle school locker room after alleged attempts to install cameras. Celina police have previously said they found no evidence supporting that claim when they closed their investigation last month, charging only Elliott.

Brogdon said the police response amounted to dismissing concerns instead of addressing whether others could face accountability.

"It certainly seemed as though the Celina Police Department said, ‘Nothing more to see here, look over there,’" Brogdon said. "They punted the ball over into our court, into the civil lawsuit court, and said, ‘I guess you’ll have to get answers there.’"

Criminologist Alex del Carmen, who is not involved in the case, said it is common for prosecutors to pursue cases as new evidence emerges, emphasizing that investigators must be able to prove allegations in court.

"If we want these folks to serve time in prison… we have to make sure the evidence submitted to the D.A. is evidence that D.A. can use," del Carmen said.

District's response and eroding trust

Dig deeper:

At a press conference Wednesday, Celina ISD families and community members said trust in the district had eroded.

"I don’t think there’s any trust left in Celina," said Kyle Sims, the grandfather of Celina ISD students. "We cannot keep letting these victims suffer and let these parents sit in anguish without having answers."

Celina ISD has hired a third-party firm to conduct its own investigation. The district said the review will be "thorough and transparent," but did not answer whether the full findings will be publicly released. Attorneys for the families are demanding the district waive legal privilege and make the results public.

"We are worried that the scale of this is even much larger than we believe it is right now," Walker said.

Elliott remains under state and federal investigation. Attorneys estimate the number of alleged victims is approaching 40 and believe more could be identified.

A request for an interview with Celina police was declined Wednesday.