On May 21st, State House Representative Sherrie Conley (R-Newcastle) and State Senator Shane Jett (R-District 17) hosted a press conference addressing the epidemic of child sexual abuse within Oklahoma’s public education system. Conley identified 129 school employees who’ve been arrested and/or convicted for molesting school children in just the last 14 years. Those are only the abusers we know about.
During the press conference, a woman named Ashley Rolen bravely told her story of abuse from 22 years ago. Her reported abuser continues to teach and coach within Oklahoma’s public schools:
“No school district is safe from the invasive destruction of a pedophile dressed as an educator…I was drugged and raped by a teacher and coach, only to find out when I was older and healed that school authorities mishandled my mother’s abuse complaint letting him go to another school. The man went on to have many victims and that same man was teaching and coaching up until the last school day of this year…My mother reported the abuse to school administrators at the time, and since then, my abuser has moved to teach and coach within seven(7) other Oklahoma school districts. He continues to hold teaching certifications through the State Department of Education.” – Ashley Rolen
Our Harmful Coaching series involves the reported sexual abuse of Rolen and several of her former, female classmates by coaches within a rural public school district east of Norman, Oklahoma. This brave group of now women who attended Little Axe High School during the late 1990s and early 2000s provided individual statements concerning the abuse they reportedly suffered to the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) in June of 2023.
These whistleblowers have more recently been interviewed by The V1SUT Vantage. Their stories illustrate a destructive pattern among administrators and school board members who chose silence over lawful reporting, concealment over investigation, resignations over consequences and proliferation over protection. It appears the absence of accountability in this one district promoted a culture of abuse among a group of reported offenders that spread to other districts.
In Part 1 of Harmful Coaching, Rolen bravely shared her story from 2002, as she and then Little Axe High School classmate “Jane” were followed to Texas on a spring break trip by two HS coaches, Michael Allen and Shawn Finch.
According to Rolen, the girls were intercepted at a public concert and coerced into joining the men at their hotel where they were reportedly drugged and sexually assaulted.
Also within Part 1, Little Axe victims identified a location of particular concern:
“Several coaches from the district are reported to have shared a rented house in nearby Norman, the scene of multiple reported sexual assaults. Those reporting abuse describe a fraternity of sorts, but with a much darker side.”
In Part 2, another former student-athlete we called Sarah shared how softball coach Allen used emotional manipulation and the death of a fellow student to begin sexually abusing her for six months at the age of 15:
“His abuse of power is what disgusts me the most. As my softball coach, he was supposed to help shape my young adolescent mind, he was supposed to protect me, he was supposed to teach me life lessons through wins and losses of playing sport. Instead he took my innocence.” – Sarah, Part 2 of Harmful Coaching
Sarah, a lifelong student of Little Axe Public Schools, left the district after her junior year in an attempt to escape any further contact with Allen. Despite leaving both the school and the community, Sarah was not free from Allen’s attempts to further abuse her.
According to Sarah, Allen reached out during her freshman year of college, expressing an interest in her college athletic career and inviting her to the residence he and Shawn Finch were sharing at the time. Later, after changing her phone number, Allen somehow obtained her college email address and invited her to dinner to discuss ‘something of importance’. Sarah said it was “all I could do to get through that dinner”, later learning Allen had been married at the time. After multiple other attempts to contact her, Sarah told Allen to leave her alone and has not heard from him since. Others were not so fortunate.
The Norman Coaches’ House: Targeting Intensifies Following Graduation
The girls attending Little Axe High School did not move out of harm’s way following graduation. In contrast, Sarah and multiple others report experiencing intensified pursuance from their HS coaches. Two women providing statements to the OSDE report being sexually assaulted at the coaches’ house in Norman shortly after their high school graduations. Out of respect for their individual requests for privacy, they will be referred to only as Rachel and Lynn.
Rachel & Lynn Tell Their Stories
Rachel and Lynn were both student athletes at Little Axe High School. In a separate statement, another classmate’s description of the culture at Little Axe HS back then suggests Rachel was specifically and unsuccessfully targeted by Allen while still a student:
“I will never forget when standing next to Coach Burris and Coach Mike Allen in the hall one day at our school and a group of my girlfriend athletes walked by and they were teasing them “flirting” and I was sickened by the attention they were throwing their way. But Mike Allen always spoke about how (Rachel) was the hottest girl in Little Axe and commented about how she looked or would just make sounds that were apparent he really was into her. At one point he asked me ‘get that for me’.”
The classmate also conveyed Rachel was not the type who would ever voluntarily get involved with a coach or teacher.
As in Rolen’s case, Lynn’s statement reveals she and her friends unexpectedly “bumped into Michael Allen and his roommate Shawn Finch at an outdoor concert.” The girls were all between 17 and 19 years of age with most having just graduated from Little Axe HS.
Lynn states, “Michael gave us some beer at the concert and invited us to his house afterward.” She remembers going to the house a few times after that for parties during that summer.
Lynn remembered three coaches, Michael Allen, Shawn Finch and Bob Ward, as living in the three-bedroom house in Norman at the time. According to Lynn, Allen and Finch had bedrooms on one side of the house and Ward occupied the other side of the house. Lynn says several other coaches and Allen’s brother Josh, were at the house regularly.
Rachel can only confirm having accompanied friends to the house one time:
“There was drinking…lots…I still remember the alcohol too, one of the few things I remember…Goldschlagers.” – Rachel
Lynn also recalled the same drink being pressed upon the girls each time she was at the coaches’ house:
“He (Allen) always had a lot of alcohol. I particularly remember drinking a lot of Goldschlager. The liquor was in the fridge/freezer. There was a lot available.” – Lynn
Goldschlager, a strong (87 proof), sweet, cinnamon liqueur containing visible flakes of gold, was popular as a flashy shot drink during the 1990’s. In addition to the alcohol, Lynn revealed the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape was playing on a television in the house when the girls were there.
Rachel’s statement describes how she was allegedly raped by Allen while very intoxicated:
“We were extremely wasted, four men were there, Michael Allen, Shawn Finch, Burris and a redheaded man…myself and I know for sure two other girls.” – Rachel
From there, like Rolen, Rachel’s recounting of that night consists of short yet vivid memories with missing portions in between:
“The second thing I remember is everyone naked in a room, not sure how we all got there either, don’t remember, or where or who everyone was. All I remember is Mike Allen naked on top of me with all his weight asking me if I was on the pill and telling me “You know you want this.” I DID NOT say yes or no. All I remember is I was really messed up and it all felt wrong. I remember someone throwing up all over in the room because of all the background commotion about it.” – Rachel
Rolen’s accusation of rape concerning Allen (Part 1) is nearly identical in recollection:
“My next memory is waking up/coming to for about 5 seconds. I opened by eyes and Michael Allen was on top of me and asked me if I took birth control. I could not talk, could not say yes or no or get the hell off me.” – Rolen
Like Rolen, Rachel did not remember her clothing being removed or how she came to be underneath Allen.
Following the reported assault, Rachel remembers feeling sick and needing to get out of the house, but her friends “were too messed up to help.” From Rachel’s statement to the OSDE:
“I had to get out. I went outside and slept in the driveway curled up on the concrete against the garage until the sun started to come up.” – Rachel
Rachel does not feel it’s her place to provide information about what may have occurred between the other men reportedly present and the girls with her that evening.
Rachel, like Rolen, suspects the alcohol provided contained a drug such as Rohypnol, a tasteless, colorless, and odorless substance. Once crushed, Rohypnol (roofie) dissolves quickly in alcohol. According to Rachel:
“It was not okay and I did not want that or EVER give my consent…He (Allen) was my softball coach and it makes me ill how many others he may have done this to…I was young and stupid, confused, didn’t know better, and was 100% taken advantage of by someone that should have been watching out for me.” – Rachel
1998-99 Little Axe softball team, coach Michael Allen (R); publicly available at classmates.com.
Lynn’s story suggests the number of girls who may have fallen victim is sizeable. On a different night, Lynn was also reportedly provided a large amount of alcohol and taken advantage of at the coaches’ house. From Lynn’s statement to the OSDE:
“I had sexual intercourse with Michael Allen that night and he told me that he had sexual intercourse with approximately 300 previous young women in which many of those were his prior students. He said it like he was playing a game and trying to get as many points as possible with his previous students being the point system. I remember feeling really stupid and vulnerable…We never went back to his house after that night.” – Lynn
Lynn’s statement further describes the dynamic of trust that led her and other teens to the coaches’ house:
“Michael was a very charming and fun person that at the time seemed like someone we could trust…They made us think we were special because they chose to hang out with us.” – Lynn
From Little Axe PS Class of 1999 yearbook; publicly available at classmates.com.
After years of processing, Lynn has gained an adult’s perspective about the abuse. Also from Lynn’s statement to the OSDE:
“I realize now that the charm was a huge manipulation to get us to do what he wanted. He and Shawn Finch used their position of power against us. It’s not until now that I’m much older with wisdom and life experiences that I realize that we were all taken advantage of and manipulated.”
Comparing Stories Brings Clarity About Coaches’ Use of Lies and Peer Pressure
Just prior to Rolen’s reported rape, which occurred two years after Rachel and Lynn’s described sexual assaults, Rolen reports Allen and Finch told her and friend “Jane” stories of group sex with older students, including Rachel and Lynn, as if everyone was doing those things (see Part 1). Upon learning of those claims by the men, Rachel states:
“Apparently he also stated to Ashley (Rolen) that the whole bunch of us, guys and girls, had sex together all the time. Once again untrue. I did not have sex with any of them, guys or girls, minus Michael Allen having sex with me… To me it sounds as though he was using what happened with us to get these girls who I looked at like little sisters and looked up to me to do what he wanted. Like it was me telling them it was okay because I did it. Fills me with anger.” – Rachel
Administration Knew and Failed to Protect: Non-Transparency, Lack of Documentation Conceal Dangerous Policy of Allowing Abusers to Resign
Lynn and others state their high school principal, Mr. Bobby Hicks (now deceased) lived just a few houses away from the coaches’ house in Norman. Hicks also served as the district’s athletic director. After seeing her car at the coaches’ house once, Lynn says Mr. Hicks warned her “not to go there anymore”, suggesting the administrator was aware of the danger to students presented by the coaches’ behavior.
Reporting from 1998 suggests administration may have been concerned about Michael Allen’s behavior during his first year of employment. In May of 1998, then Little Axe superintendent Dr. Jess Bair decided not to renew Allen’s contract after his first year with the district (1997-1998) along with the contracts of two other teacher/coaches.
Shortly after, Bair left the district and his replacement, Barry Damrill, continued Allen’s employment until May of 2002 when Allen stepped down just months after allegedly raping Rolen.
A former principal in the district during the transition from Bair’s to Damrill’s leadership states, “Dr. Bair was good. He wanted accountability and they hated him. The board hated him. He wanted to stop waste, extra positions, the extra records person at central office.”
An extensive interview with a former member of the district’s office staff during Damrill’s tenure as superintendent revealed Damrill’s unwritten policy for handling accusations of sexual misconduct concerning the staff:
“He (Damrill) was pretty nonchalant…It was always like we just won’t rehire him and we’ll just sweep it under the rug.”
When asked if any reports were ever made to law enforcement, the staff member stated:
“They had resource officers (SROs) on staff when I was there.”
The former staff member confirmed that two officers worked directly for the district, not a law enforcement agency, while performing their duties as SROs.
When asked if completed investigations and findings were documented within the personnel files of those accused of misconduct with students, the staff member replied:
“First they would have to have something to put in the file…Literally, they just didn’t hire you back or they would quietly tell them to resign and move on. That’s basically how it went.”
When asked if there was ever a discussion about how allowing potential predators to move on to other districts might affect kids, the staff member simply stated:
“No.”
Though the staff member describes Mr. Hicks as “a really good guy”, and Mr. Damrill as “always nice and treated people well”, accountability was observably lacking. When asked who was ultimately driving the personnel decisions, the staff member states:
“Beverly Felton was holding the reigns. She still is to this day…Nobody wants a bad rap on their school, and that’s in every school.”
Little Axe PS 1999 School Board (publicly available at classmates.com)
Beverly Felton has been a Little Axe School Board member for over 25 years and is the body’s current president. The V1SUT Vantage recently corresponded by email with Felton, who initially expressed a desire to engage in a discussion. After sending questions about how accusations against school staff had then been and are now being handled, Felton stopped responding.
Current Little Axe PS Board Pres. (available littleaxeps.org)
As previously reported, the district claims all personnel and board records were destroyed when a tornado hit the area during 2010, making fulfillment of any public records request concerning documents prior to that time impossible. The former office staff member questions that claim stating:
“I don’t believe that because when I was there they were sending all our paper files to be microfiched at a prison…And we backed up our computers every single day, so for them to say all of the records were destroyed in the tornado, I do not believe.”
The Same Superintendent and School Board Brought Drag Queen Shane Murnan Back to Public Ed Following Child Porn Charge
In August of 2023, this publication revealed Shane Murnan, a known Oklahoma drag queen previously charged with possession of child pornography, to have been hired as an elementary school principal within the Western Heights School District. In 2002, Murnan was a 5th grade teacher within Stillwater Public Schools when investigators found multiple images of boys engaged in sex acts on his devices. After much legal wrangling, Murnan escaped prosecution on the felony charge. From previous reporting:
Despite Judge Dave Allen stating “it is clear from a review of the pictures that they do represent child pornography” during a subsequent appeal by prosecutors, and his reinstatement of the (felony) charge, a third judge, Donald Worthington, eventually dropped the child pornography charge, leaving Murnan with only a misdemeanor for possession of marijuana. Despite dismissing the charge, Worthington states for the record his “personal opinion that you (Murnan) should be nowhere around young children”. With the felony dropped, Murnan retained his teaching certification in Oklahoma.
After a short probation period on the drug charge, Murnan’s record was expunged in October of 2003. He used 2004, 2005 and 2006 to launch his Shantel Mandalay persona into the world of crossdressing pageants, such as Miss Gay Oklahoma, before heading right back to the classroom.
It was Superintendent Damrill and the Little Axe School Board who revived Murnan’s teaching career. Murnan taught at Little Axe Elementary School from 2007 until 2015 before moving on to Oklahoma City PS and then Western Heights PS.
Little Axe PS 2007 School Board (publicly available classmates.com)
Who Were the Men Reportedly at the Norman House
Lynn reports Michael Allen, Shawn Finch and Bob Ward were residents of the Norman coaches’ house during the time described in her statement to the OSDE. Rachel’s statement names Little Axe coaches Allen, Finch and Terry Burris, an unknown red-headed man and Allen’s brother Joshua Allen, who is not known to be or have been an educator, as having been at the house on the night of her reported assault by Allen.
Consistent reports of heavy drinking and reckless behavior appear to be reinforced by the men’s interactions with law enforcement during the late 1990s and early 2000s. During 2000, both Michael Allen and Joshua Allen were separately arrested for DUI in central Oklahoma during mid-2000. Michael Allen was employed by Little Axe Public Schools at the time and is reported by former student-athletes to have driven buses to away games on occasion.
Similarly, Shawn Finch was arrested for public drunkenness during 1997. Also in 1997, Terry Burris faced charges for driving “41+ MPH” over the speed limit while his license was suspended.
Part 1 of Harmful Coaching tracked the careers of Allen and Finch through multiple districts and accusations. A number of known scandals have precipitated their individual exits from other districts. Since stepping down at Little Axe, each has been hired by at least one district where a former coach-mate had gained a position of influence. Both men continue to hold teaching certifications through the OSDE and have continued to teach and coach within public schools.
According to Lynn’s statement:
“If Michael Allen and/or Shawn Finch are still teaching, I would be extremely concerned with the access they have to young girls…If they have never been held accountable for their behaviors then they really don’t have a reason to change it.”
Bob Ward, though reported to be a resident of the Norman coaches’ house along with Allen and Finch, is not named as a perpetrator of any abuse within the statements of former students as submitted to the OSDE. Neither has this publication learned anything during our investigation that would indicate Ward participated in such acts, though he is reported to have been aware students visited the Norman house. When interviewed, Lynn stated:
“Bob Ward came home once when we were there and got his stuff real quick then left.”
Ward served as Little Axe head football coach from 1996 until 1999. Since 2004, Ward has taught and coached for Thomas Public Schools. This publication reached out to Ward through the Thomas Public Schools email system, informed him about reports of abuse from former Little Axe students and requested any information he could provide. No response was received.
Former Little Axe PS football coach Terry Burris was identified within statements to the OSDE as having pursued female students. Burris was a Little Axe football coach from 1998 until 2002, and was more than a decade older than both Allen and Finch.
According to one statement submitted to the OSDE by a former Little Axe student:
“I was one of the HS football managers…Coach Terry Burris was our head football coach at the time…I was pursued by Terry Burris my senior year. I’m not going to say he forced me because he didn’t do that, but he would tell me how beautiful I was all the time and how my boyfriends didn’t deserve me. We flirted a lot and even turned into kissing when we were alone at school…then I would notice he would get jealous if I had a relationship and would talk badly about that boy to me. There was only one time that he tried to get me to meet him outside of school just him and I and he had rented a hotel room and asked me to come by. It turned into a make out session quickly and I luckily was able to leave willingly on my own before it turned into anything further. I never told anyone about this for the longest time because I was embarrassed and knew it was wrong.”
Another witness statement from a former Little Axe student states that student, during 2002, interrupted an inappropriate interaction between Burris and another female student upon entering the coach’s office, a stand alone building outside of the school near the field house:
“During the year of 2002 while walking into the coach’s office, I did witness Coach Burris and a high school student within some form of sexual interaction.”
The former Little Axe PS office staff member interviewed by this publication confirmed school administrators were aware of this incident. Burris was 39 years old at the time of the incident described and had just married a young woman 17 years his junior who is reported to have been a former student.
Burris left Little Axe shortly after the incident described, coached and taught at Hennessey PS (2002-2005), then Yale PS (2005-2007) and Coyle PS (2007-2008) before leaving K-12 public education. His teaching certification through the OSDE is set to expire in June of this year.
This publication contacted Burris by phone at his current place of employment. He expressed he was unable to talk at the moment. The publication offered to send Burris a short list of questions, but he chose not to provide his email address. The publication’s email address was provided to Burris to allow him to make comment, but no response has been received.
OSDE Has Yet to Take Action to Protect Current Students
Both Rachel and Lynn provided statements to the OSDE in June of 2023. In April of 2024, Rachel, Lynn and Rolen each interviewed with newly hired OSDE investigator Mike Hoskins to confirm their earlier statements and provide other information required for the agency to take action against those involved who remain in public education. Hoskins was then terminated by the agency in early May, and Rolen reports no one from the OSDE has communicated with her since that time.
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