Three months ago, I reported how M55 hurdler Kerry Sloan had been arrested on rape charges on the way to Malaga worlds — seized at a Texas airport on the way to London. I tracked the case for a few days and then let it slide. Wednesday, a USATF notice brought Kerry to my attention again:

Please be advised that it has come to USATF’s attention that the following individual has been deemed ineligible by the U.S. Center for SafeSport (www.safesport.org).

KERRY SLOAN (Harker Heights, TX) – INELIGIBLE (SUBJECT TO APPEAL/NOT YET FINAL)

Accordingly, this individual is prohibited from participating, in any capacity, in any activity or competition authorized by, organized by, sanctioned by, or under the auspices of USATF or the USOC, the national governing bodies recognized by the USOC, and/or any Local Affiliated Organizations of a national governing body recognized by USATF and/or the USOC (including any USATF associations and clubs). This individual has been placed on USATF’s list of suspended individuals (usatf.org/About/SafeSport/Disciplinary-Records.aspx).

This action affirms USATF’s paramount goal of protecting its members and participants from victimization by sexual predators and other misconduct. It is our duty, along with the USOC, to work together to form a culture of respect in sport.

The mission of the U.S. Center for Safe Sport is to make athlete well-being the centerpiece of our nation’s sports. All athletes deserve to participate in sports that are free from bullying, hazing, sexual misconduct or any form of emotional or physical abuse.

So I looked up the case in Oklahoma court records and was surprised to see it was dismissed Oct. 9 at the request of the state. Oh my. Then I looked up his Tulsa lawyer and sent her a text. She immediately called back and said: Check federal court records. I immediately went to the PACER database.

The feds have taken over prosecution, I saw. And after some back-and-forth over whether he should be returned to custody, a judge ruled that Kerry, a military vet with PTSD and now working as a truck driver, could stay out on bail. Kerry put down $10,000 and now awaits trial on April 15, 2019.

His lawyers originally wanted to delay trial until June 2019, but on Oct. 26 U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan said nope.

However, she agreed the case was “complex” and the defense needed time to get ducks in a row, so she didn’t push for the original trial date of Dec. 17, 2018 — just a couple weeks from now.

I collated a bunch of court docs, which include forensic evidence and victim statement. It’s nasty stuff, which I won’t summarize here. But the record is public, so you can check it out.

Kerry says he’s no longer coaching. It appears, from the USATF statement, that his masters career is over, too. He can appeal his banned status if he is acquitted at trial. But that is far from his biggest concern now.

He faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence if convicted. Maximum is life in prison.

Kerry has two grown sons and a Defense Department-employed wife of 26 years.

A statement also says: “Mr. Sloan suffers from Type-2 diabetes, for which he takes prescribed medications. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following his military service, but the condition is under control. He undergoes an annual check-up with his physician once a year to ensure the condition remains properly managed.”

During the effort to keep him out of jail, Kerry’s lawyers also said:

Mr. Sloan has no criminal history. He appears to have consistently been a pillar of his community. He has served in the military, maintained employment, had a stable marriage, and raised two successful children. As Magistrate Judge McCarthy explicitly recognized, Mr. Sloan is far outside the norm of criminal defendants that appear in this Court. It is difficult to reconcile Mr. Sloan’s life with the Government’s assertion that he clearly and convincingly is dangerous.

Even if the Court assumes for the sake of analysis that it should worry, based solely on the charge in this case, the Mr. Sloan could commit similar crimes, there is nothing supporting that assumption beyond the charge contained in the Indictment. There is no evidence that Mr. Sloan is an ongoing danger to anyone. He has never been accused of committing any crimes outside of this case. The Government agrees that its case is limited to a single incident involving one alleged victim. In the more than a year period since the alleged offense, there have been no other allegations made against Mr. Sloan from either the alleged victim in this case or anyone else.

I’ll keep an eye on the case and report back.

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