Utah high school wrestling coach arrested, accused of sexually abusing teens

PAYSON — An assistant coach with the Payson High School wrestling team has been arrested and accused of abusing student-athletes.

Chayce Gerald Loveless, 28, of Payson, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Friday for investigation of four counts of enticing a minor and 11 counts of forcible sexual abuse.

The Nebo School District released a statement to KSL Friday, saying they are "aware of the recent arrest of a district employee. Upon learning of the situation, the district took immediate action, and the individual is no longer employed with us. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation. To maintain the integrity of their process, the district cannot share additional details at this time. We remain committed to maintaining a safe, secure environment across all of our schools."

The investigation began in July when Payson police were contacted by the FBI regarding a cyber tip they had received. A man, who is no longer in high school, reported that "when he was a student at the Payson High School and a member of the high school wrestling team, an adult wrestling staff member was sexually abusing him," according to a police booking affidavit.

The victim named Loveless as the alleged perpetrator and police "confirmed he is an assistant coach…of the wrestling staff at Payson High School which also puts Chayce into a position of trust. I confirmed with the Payson High School principal that Chayce is still a member of the wrestling staff," the arresting officer wrote in the affidavit.

The victim reported that when he was a member of the wrestling team several years earlier, and under the age of 18, Loveless would inappropriately touch him during practice and then ask him to send explicit pictures via Snapchat, the affidavit states. The victim stated that Loveless inappropriately touched him "over 30 times when he was between the ages of 16 and 17."

Investigators identified a second victim who also claimed Loveless inappropriately touched him during wrestling practice.

"Many times the victims would say 'stop' and/or would push Chayce away," according to the affidavit.

Police then interviewed a third person who claimed Loveless asked him, while he was still in high school, to send explicit pictures.

"Victim 3 stated how Chayce asked him at least three or four times and was really pushy about it. Victim 3 stated he could not remember exactly, but Chayce either offered him money, food dash, or something to do with a video game," the affidavit states.

On Friday, police took Loveless into custody and served a search warrant on his home.

When questioned by detectives, Loveless admitted "he had solicited four minor males at the time for nude pictures. Three of the minors at the time were wrestlers at Payson High School where he was currently one of the assistant coaches," according to the affidavit.

Loveless did not recall inappropriately touching any of the victims during practice and claimed that if he did, he was just "joking." But he also told investigators "if they said (he) did, he probably did grab them," the affidavit states. "This investigation is ongoing."

Payson police further stated Friday afternoon that investigators believe "there is a high likelihood of additional victims" and encourage anyone with information to contact them.

Loveless began coaching at the high school in 2020.

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