Read the Indictment: Former Pinewood Coach Indicted by Evans County Grand Jury

A former Pinewood Christian Academy Coach has been indicted by a grand jury in Evans County.

35-year-old Joshua Garrett Blaxton was arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in April 2024 on charges of Sexual Exploitation of Children, Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes, and Improper Sexual Contact by Employee or Agent. The GBI was requested by the Evans County Sheriff’s Office after a report was made about a teacher and coach at Pinewood Christian Academy. The allegation was that the teacher sent inappropriate text messages to several female students at the school. 

The GBI said in an April press release that the explicit text messages, which included nude photographs, were sent while he was employed at the school.

Blaxton was booked into the Tattnall County Jail on April 19 and he was held without bond until the end of July. Blaxton resigned from his position at the school while the GBI was still investigating the initial allegations.

Released on Bond

On July 26, 2024, a bond was set in Blaxton’s case because his case had not yet been indicted. Under Georgia law, defendants who have not been indicted after ninety days are entitled to a reasonable bond. Judge Mark Hendrix set Blaxton’s bond at $25,000 cash or $50,000 property and he was subsequently bonded out that day with the following conditions:

• Curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. daily
• No contact, direct or indirect, with any of the alleged victims in the case
• Must reside at the residence of his parents in Tattnall County
• No contact with any female under the age of 18
• No access to any electronic device, including telephone and computer, with internet access (Telephone without internet access is permissible)
• No uninvited contact with his wife
• Only supervised visitation with his minor child

Indictment

Blaxton’s case was presented to an Evans County Grand Jury in September of this year. The grand jury returned a True Bill of Indictment on each of the charges from the warrants and four additional charges.

1. Criminal Attempt to Commit Enticing Child (max possible sentence is 15 years)
2. Sexual Contact by a Person in a Position of Trust in the First Degree (max possible sentence is 25 years and $100,000 fine)
3. Sexual Battery Against a Child Under 16 (max possible sentence is 5 years)
4. Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree (max possible sentence is 10 years)
5. Computer Child Exploitation (max possible sentence is 20 years and $25,000 fine)
6. Criminal Attempt to Commit Improper Sexual Contact by Employee (max possible sentence is 12.5 years and $50,000 fine)
7. Sexual Contact by a Person in a Position of Trust in the First Degree (max possible sentence is 25 years and $100,000 fine)

All seven charges are felonies. If convicted of all seven counties, he faces a maximum penalty of 112.5 years in prison and up to $275,000 in fines.

Blaxton is represented by Vidalia-based defense attorney Tom Peterson.

Read the Blaxton Indictment below.