Collin County

Anna Parents Stunned as Coach's Arrest Uncovers Past Felony Convictions

Some baseball parents in Anna feel duped by Jason Conn and they're not the only ones. The president of Anna Sports Group, Clark Miller, is frustrated too.

"Surprise, disappointment, shock,” Miller said. "He was a likeable guy and put himself out there that way, volunteered a lot."

On Friday, a Facebook post from Conn's account told parents he had a family emergency and couldn't make a weekend tournament. That same day, he was arrested on federal charges.

Records show a misdemeanor hunting violation in January uncovered multiple Collin County drug convictions dating back to 2002 that prevented him from owning a gun. The indictment said Conn had a shotgun and a rifle during his run-in with Parks and Wildlife. He's now facing two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Conn, 38, coached 8- and 9-year-old boys and passed a background check with Anna Sports Group two years ago. That's when he applied to coach as a volunteer. 

"We made a mistake. We own the mistake. We're disappointed in ourselves. We are very upset with our process,” Miller said.

He said the group is made up of only volunteers who relied on trust and a business-type model that only looked back 10 years.

"This was '16, which is probably why it slipped through the cracks, but still, we're dealing with kids here,” Miller said.

Most of the drug offenses occurred in 2002, including possession of a controlled substance and manufacturing and delivery of a controlled substance. Court records also show violations including a DWI arrest in 2005 and evading arrest in 2008.

A few parents shared their frustrations with NBC 5, saying they paid $140 signup fees to use city facilities and thought their kids were in good hands. Miller said he's heard from them too and he's now planning more frequent background checks and a stricter application process.

"We're immediately trying to fix it. I mean, we're going to do it better. We're going to do it right. This was an eyeopener,” he said. 

As for the indictment, Conn could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine if convicted.

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