18-04-2025
News Tribune coverage of ex-Sumner basketball coach's trial
Stories by Tacoma News Tribune journalists, with AI summarization
This list of stories outlines the trial and accusations against former Sumner High School basketball coach Jacob "Jake" Jackson. A jury convicted Jackson of sexually abusing players, and a judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison. Prosecutors said Jackson abused minors at his home and used platforms like Snapchat to send and request sexually explicit messages. Separate from his criminal case, families filed lawsuits against Jackson and the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District related to the abuse.
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
Jacob 'Jake' Jackson was hired in 2016 and placed on leave in 2022 when allegations surfaced and later resigned. | Published April 17, 2025 | Read Full Story by Shea Johnson
Jacob 'Jake' Jackson, 37, was tried for rape and molestation charges for allegedly abusing eight high school players he coached. | Published January 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Peter Talbot
Jacob 'Jake' Jackson, 37, in on trial on rape and molestation charges for allegedly abusing eight high school players he coached. | Published January 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Peter Talbot
Jacob 'Jake' Jackson took the stand in his criminal trial Tuesday. He's charged with sexually abusing eight boys when he coached the Sumner High boys basketball team. | Published January 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Puneet Bsanti
'From the turnout today the community is taking this to heart,' a court commissioner says during the arraignment. | Published May 11, 2023 | Read Full Story by Angelica Relente
The Sumner Police Department forwarded its investigation to the prosecuting attorney's office on April 20. | Published April 28, 2023 | Read Full Story by Angelica Relente
The boy is under 'extreme emotional distress' as a result of the coach's abuse, the lawsuit alleges. | Published October 21, 2022 | Read Full Story by Angelica Relente
The child's family filed the lawsuit in February. Another family filed a similar lawsuit against the former basketball coach in October. | Published March 13, 2023 | Read Full Story by Angelica Relente
'If the district had acted in 2018, then all of these four boys would have been protected,' an attorney representing the families said. | Published April 6, 2023 | Read Full Story by Angelica Relente
'I'm just trying to support my friends that have been affected by this,' one high school student said. | Published May 18, 2023 | Read Full Story by Angelica Relente
The lawsuit contends the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District did not act on information it had about Jacob 'Jake' Jackson. | Published August 21, 2023 | Read Full Story by Alexis Krell
The former coach was released on bail and awaits trial for his criminal charges. | Published April 9, 2024 | Read Full Story by Angelica Relente
This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.