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Problems allegedly began in December when Brooks provided beer to two underage male students. Court papers indicate the situation escalated in February when female and male students allegedly began performing sex acts with the encouragement of Brooks. By April, Brooks had become sexually involved with a student, court papers allege. Search warrants also indicate Brooks paid an 18-year-old male more than $500 to engage in sex acts with an underage female.
Brooks, 29, had just completed his first year as athletic director when he was arrested earlier this month. He also taught physical education and coached baseball at the K-12 school. He has been suspended with pay by the local school system, according to David Steinbicker, personnel director.
Twenty of the new charges against Brooks are felonies. They include:
Promoting prostitution of a minor (seven counts); first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor (six counts); sex offense with a student (three counts), crime against nature (two counts); and breaking and entering (two counts).
Misdemeanor charges include 16 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, six counts of maintaining a place for prostitution and three counts of selling and/or giving a malt beverage to an underage person.
Hess, 29, had been employed by the Sheriff's Department for approximately six years prior to his resignation, including time as an auxiliary officer, according to Cruzan. He had been resource officer (deputy assigned to full-time duty at a high school) two years before resigning on June 11, the sheriff said.
Hess is charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a student and one count each of aiding and abetting a felony and accessory after the fact of a felony.
Preliminary hearings on all charges are slated for Tuesday, July 10, in Jackson County District Court.
The crime against nature and sex offense with a student charges against Brooks involve a female, who sources indicate was a Blue Ridge junior. Dates of offense are listed as April 15 and April 30.
Charges of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and promoting prostitution of a minor against Brooks involve a 14-year-old female, who was a Blue Ridge freshman, sources say. She is the same student involved in the original charges - one count each of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and promoting prostitution of a minor - against Brooks. The date of offense for the original charges is listed as May 25. The new charges have dates of offenses of Feb. 20 and March 1.
The breaking and entering incidents are alleged to have occurred May 25 at the home of the 14-year-old and her parents.
Warrants alleged that the house Brooks rented on Yellow Mountain Road was used for prostitution on Feb. 20, March 1 and May 25, bringing about the maintaining a place for prostitution charges.
Warrants for contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile allege Brooks "encouraged" four freshmen - two males and two females - to engage in sex acts. Dates of offense are Feb. 20, March 1, March 23, April 18, April 20, May 15 and May 25.
Brooks is also alleged to have given beer to a Blue Ridge male junior on Dec. 7 and Dec. 15 and to have given beer to a Blue Ridge male senior on Dec. 15.
Hess is alleged to have taken indecent liberties with two junior female Blue Ridge students on March 23. He also is charged with aiding and abetting the commission of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor on May 25 and accessory on June 4 by not reporting and attempting to deceive officers investigating a reported statutory rape on Feb. 20.
That instance of statutory rape is one of seven in which Jeremy Stewart, an 18-year-old June Blue Ridge graduate and basketball star, is charged. Those warrants were issued June 4, the same day Brooks was served with the original warrants.
Brooks, who was free after posting $40,000 bond on the initial charges, turned himself in Friday (June 22) on the new charges. He posted an additional $60,000 bond and was released. Hess surrendered to authorities last Thursday and was released after posting $10,000 bond.
Some of the charges against Brooks and Hess were under a relatively new law that makes it illegal for a teacher or coach to have any sexual involvement with a student regardless of the student's age, Sally Waters, assistant district attorney, noted.
Cruzan and Waters both indicated additional charges in the case are possible.
"The investigation is continuing, and interviews are being conducted on a daily basis," the sheriff said. "We would ask that anyone with information pertaining to this case contact the Sheriff's Department. I will say again that there are no specific targets, but no one is immune to prosecution. The safety of our children is now and always will be our top priority."
"There's a potential for more victims, and it's our obligation to investigate," Waters said. "Hess and Brooks have had contact with other schools. We're obviously obligated to look at potential crimes. I hope we don't find other victims."
While Brooks and Hess were never employed as teachers at other schools, they have both been connected with the athletic program at Smoky Mountain High School.
Brooks was an assistant coach in the Mustang football program from 1993-96 serving in various capacities. His father was head coach at that time. Brooks also served as head Smoky Mountain JV baseball coach and spent time as a varsity baseball assistant from 1994-99.
Hess worked as a trainer/manager, primarily with the football team, for most of the past 10 years.
During last week's press conference, Cruzan said he had received suggestions about bringing in an outside agency since one of his officers is apparently involved, but he said he chose to remain in charge of the investigation.
"When I swore an oath, I said I'd do it," he said. "I'm responsible for everything my department does, so how do you think this makes me feel? We'll clean our own house if we're going to clean anybody else's."
Waters also endorsed having the Sheriff's Department continue to head the case.
"I have every confidence in the sheriff and the Sheriff's Department," she said. "The sheriff has handled this superbly and with every bit of integrity you could expect."
Hess is not the only officer to be caught up in the case. Detective Tom Tenhagen also submitted his resignation on June 11.
"Officer Tenhagen used poor judgment in his investigating skills, but there has been no evidence of his involvement any further than that," Cruzan said.
In addition to his duties with the Sheriff's Department, Tenhagen lived rent-free in a house on the Blue Ridge campus in exchange for providing security. That agreement, which began in 1999, was terminated by the school system earlier this month.
Associate Editor Lynn Hotaling contributed to this report.
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