Payson girls basketball coach resigns amid investigation by Adams County Sheriff’s Office

PAYSON, Ill. — Payson Seymour girls basketball coach Bert Koehler resigned Wednesday from his duties as a teacher and coach amid an investigation being conducted by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

Koehler, who was a junior high math teacher, is being investigated for allegedly exchanging text messages with a 14-year-old student. He submitted his resignation before the Payson School Board convened its monthly meeting Wednesday night.

The board accepted Koehler’s resignation and announced it following a closed-door portion of its meeting.

Payson athletic director Don Miller confirmed he and Brenton Hannel, the Payson baseball coach, will take over coaching duties for the girls basketball team. The Indians are 0-5 in their first season as a varsity program since the 2016-17 season. Payson co-oped with either Western or Liberty during the past five seasons.

Adams County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Patrick Frazier said the department was notified of “suspicious circumstances” last week and opened an investigation into Koehler’s activities. Frazier said the investigation is still pending.