FLEMMING ISLAND, Fla. – With children nowadays being so involved in extracurricular activities and sports, parents have the difficult task of navigating the tricky waters between being overbearing and trusting the counselors and coaches who are responsible for those children's safety.
One of those caretakers, Jonathan Pol, is a Clay County cheerleading coach currently involved in a deadly hit and run investigation and is facing several felony charges.
Police said Pol struck a 53-year-old man in Atlanta in November 2013. Investigators believe he drove away and left the victim for dead.
He's now awaiting trial charged with first degree homicide by vehicle, hit and run, DUI and failing to aid an injured person.
But Pol, 28, is currently out of jail and still running his business, Island Cheerleading and Tumbling in Fleming Island.
It's the home of the Island All Stars, an award-winning competitive children's cheerleading team and Jonathan Pol is the program director.
Though Pol has been tightlipped about the investigation, the police report speaks volumes about what may have happened.
In an alarming report from Atlanta Police on a Nov. 23, 2013 fatal hit-and-run, officers said they discovered 53-year-old Darryl Williams dead in the grass next to a sidewalk in downtown Atlanta. The man was reported to be homeless.
Detectives also found a driver's side mirror at the scene. They traced the mirror to a BMW which was rented from Jacksonville by Island Cheers' Jonathan Pol. The crash happened on his 27th birthday.
An investigator questioned Pol over the phone, and according to his report, "Pol admitted that he was driving his rental vehicle and lost control. He reported that he struck some siding."
But Pol gave a different story to a Jacksonville sheriff's officer, an acquaintance of Pol's, whom he called the morning of the crash.
That officer said Pol told him he was drinking and that "He had struck a person and another vehicle. He claimed that he was scared and fled the scene from both collisions."
Police put a warrant out for the Pol's arrest and he turned himself in days later. The case is ongoing.
Pol isn't the only Island Cheer employee that has ended up on the wrong side of the law though.
Coach Russell Roberts was recently fired after being arrested in April in Central Florida for leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. According to online court records Roberts is scheduled to go on trial on other charges this month.
Pol told News4Jax that all the families involved in his program are aware of the situation. He said he has no problems with any of them and he's running a successful business. He said he's never had any complaints from them.
News4Jax reached out to Pol's attorney in Atlanta over two days, but he did not respond.
Several parents are coming to Island Allstars' defense.
"I understand a story is going to be run on the gym that my daughter attends. She loves the gym, the coaches and the atmosphere and so do I. The gym does great things for the community and the children in it. They have a safe place to go and they are taught more than just cheer and tumbling skills. The motto for the gym is "One Gym, One Family" and they stay very true to that," Mel Duran, an Island Allstar Cheer and Tumbling mother, said.
Island Cheer Allstars Cheer and Tumbling also released the following statement regarding News4Jax investigation.
"It has been brought to our attention that a news investigation is currently in progress regarding Island Cheer and Tumbling located in Fleming Island, Florida. This investigation is being centered on the personal life of some of our coaches. We would like to make the public aware that our gym is USASF certified and background checked. Should future events occur that would jeopardize the safety or reputation of the gym or the children they are handled immediately and accordingly. As a gym we are not able to speak on the behalf of individuals.
"As a gym we pride ourselves on providing a safe and positive environment for every athlete who walks through our door. The athletes within these walls are constantly motivated and encouraged to reach the impossible."
Island Cheerleading in Fleming Island held a meeting for parents Thursday evening. Parents at the meeting Thursday night are still coming to Pol's defense.
"I would let my daughter ride in that vehicle with him and she has when they've been to a couple different areas outside our area competing, and if they had to go compete tomorrow and he had to drive, here's my daughter," said Brand Soupene. "I trust that man. I believe all these parents do. That's why we've come together like this. He's changed our daughter's life, he's changed my wife and I's lives."
Atlanta police said Pol told them he was drinking before the accident.