Coastal Carolina University cheerleading team suspended indefinitely, responds with statement

The Coastal Carolina University cheerleading team has been suspended indefinitely pending a conduct investigation, according to a school official.

Vice President of University Communications William Plate Jr. was unwilling to go into details of the allegations against the team.

“At this time, we can only confirm the suspension because this is an ongoing investigation,” Plate said in an email Thursday.

TV station WMBF, citing an anonymous cheerleader, reported that the team was suspended following a letter mailed to Coastal Carolina University President Dave DeCenzo alleging that the cheerleaders were engaging in prostitution, buying alcohol for minors and paying others to do their homework.

The cheerleading team provided The Sun News with a statement Friday through an email, saying there are false accusations against the team. It read:

“At this point in time, we no longer wish to be contacted about the current situation. The false accusations have led to harassment on campus as well as through social media, and are beginning to negatively impact our daily lives as well as our studies. As a team we ask the community to support us through these tough times as we hope the situation will be cleared up shortly.”

A cheerleader contacted through social media said the statement was crafted by and represents the entire 20-member team.

The website for the cheer team now redirects to the CCU Athletics’ spirit page.

The team, which is coached by Marla Sage and falls under the athletics department, performs at CCU home football and basketball games and was scheduled to perform at a national cheerleading competition in Daytona Beach, Fla., in April.

Neither Coastal athletics spokesman Mike Cawood nor director of athletics Matt Hogue would comment on the investigation.

One cheerleader contacted on Thursday by The Sun News declined to comment, and others declined interview requests through third parties.

At least one member of the 2016-17 CCU cheerleading team has been arrested this year.

In January, former cheerleader Madison Marie Loader was arrested by Coastal Carolina Police and charged with accessory after the fact to a felony. According to court documents, a magistrate judge at her preliminary hearing on March 17 found no probable cause for the existing arrest warrant, so Loader’s case is now inactive.

According to a police report, she was living in the Coastal Club Apartments near CCU in January with her boyfriend at the time, Desman Earl Chestnut, who was wanted in Lexington County on a fraud charge.

Police approached Chestnut and stated they had warrants for his arrest, and Chestnut pushed one of the officers to the ground and fled the scene, according to the report. Chestnut was found four hours later by the Horry County Bloodhound team and taken into custody.

Police returned to Coastal Club Apartments following Chestnut’s arrest and viewed video footage of Loader handing a gun to two unidentified males who entered her apartment through the balcony, according to the report.

During an interview with police, Loader said she called “papi the jug” to come retrieve narcotics and the gun from the apartment because she believed police would soon return, according to the report.

Loader said in a Facebook message Friday that she left the cheerleading team on Nov. 28 and she was not aware of behavior that was cited in the alleged letter that was referenced by the anonymous cheerleader. “I was not aware of anything going on like that during my time there,” Loader wrote.

On top of the Lexington County warrants, Chestnut was charged with assault on a police officer while resisting arrest, distribution of marijuana and distribution of a controlled substance within proximity of a school. Chestnut was banned from all CCU property including the Coastal Club Apartments, according to the report.

Chestnut was previously arrested in November 2016 in Horry County and charged with possession, manufacture and trafficking of methamphetamine and cocaine base according to police booking records.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Coastal Carolina University cheerleading team suspended indefinitely, responds with statement."