Asheville Christian Academy faces lawsuit over alleged sexual abuse cover-up by staff
An Asheville Christian Academy (ACA) employee
By Marisa Sardonia
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — Asheville Christian Academy (ACA) is facing a civil lawsuit after a coach, Samuel Jason Ingle, was charged in June 2024 with a felony, accused of sexual activity with a student.
The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 9, 2025, claims that ACA and its employees neglected to report and intervene in the sexual abuse and exploitation of the plaintiff student, who appears under a pseudonym of “Jane Doe.”
The lawsuit lists the following as defendants:
Asheville Christian Academy, Inc. William George, former head of school Taylor Bell, former “director of social, emotional and spiritual care” Wade Tapp, former associate head of school/head of Upper School Alexis Zanias, former Upper School teacher Samuel Jason Ingle, former “dean of spiritual formation” and coach
The lawsuit alleges that staff “unconscionably allowed this egregious and outrageous conduct to continue without taking any steps to report, intervene, investigate, discipline, pursue criminal charges, stop the grooming, abuse and exploitation or take any other steps to protect Plaintiff Jane Doe.”
The lawsuit also claims that staff worked jointly to “cover up the grooming, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse” of Jane Doe.
In April 2024, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that an ACA employee was on leave while the sheriff’s office conducted an investigation.
In June 2024, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Samuel Jason Ingle, 52, was arrested.
Arrest warrants confirm that Ingle was a coach at Asheville Christian Academy at the time of the Feb. 1, 2024, offense. The document alleges that Ingle “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously” engaged in a sex act with an 18-year-old student of the school.
ACA’s Head of School William George released a statement after the arrest, writing, in part:
“We want to assure you that the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We take any allegations seriously. Any misconduct is a glaring violation of our school’s mission and core values. Our leadership team is actively working to determine the best way forward for our school and community[…] We are deeply saddened by this situation and are praying for all involved[…]”
Since Ingle’s arrest, defendants George and Tapp have also departed their positions at Asheville Christian Academy. Their names are not listed on ACA’s staff website.
Edit: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that an additional defendant had been removed from ACA’s staff website. This has since been corrected.
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