PASADENA, Texas – KPRC 2 is digging deeper into an investigation involving a select softball coach accused of taking money from parents. Pasadena Police released a photo of the coach, Thaddeus Lewis, the day after KPRC 2 first reported on the theft case investigation on Monday.
According to Pasadena Police, Lewis is cooperating with detectives, and no charges have been officially filed against him at this time. However, authorities are asking the community for help as the investigation continues. According to parents on Lewis’s current 18 & Under team, he has not been seen or heard from since June. Parents of the HTX Sliders team said he vanished after collecting hundreds of dollars.
Investigators believe Lewis may have stolen money from parents on multiple teams over time. KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel spoke with Ashley Morgan, a parent who says Lewis still owes her money from last summer.
Morgan shared how the situation impacted her daughter’s softball career.
“In such a negative way. Like she was so disturbed emotionally,” Morgan said.
Morgan also provided text messages between her and Lewis, showing he initially agreed to refund her but never followed through.
Parents on both teams told KPRC 2 they paid $100 for uniforms that never arrived and between $500 and $700 in tournament fees for events their daughters never attended. The players were recruited with promises of competing in college showcases and earning scholarships that never materialized.
Morgan said Lewis gave a long list of excuses for canceling practices.
“He told us that his mom had passed and so we weren’t going to be able to attend some of the showcases that were scheduled and that we had all paid for,” she explained.
Parents on Lewis’s current team reported similar excuses.
Jessica Broussard, a parent, said, “Then we had the, I have a family member ill in Louisiana. Then I have family member that died. So it was just too many red flags.”
Morgan said she caught Lewis in a lie about his mother’s passing.
“I kind of did my own research where I asked him, you know, like what’s your mom’s name? I’m sorry to hear about your mom, you come to find out she hadn’t,” Morgan said.
Attempts to contact Lewis and his relatives by phone were unsuccessful. On Monday, a relative told Corley she had been in contact with Lewis and would pass along a message for comment, but we have not heard back.
When asked if she contacted police last year, Morgan said, “I did not. I didn’t know, like, legally how far I could take it.”
But she has since reached out to detectives.
“I already have made a call,” she said.
Other parents from last year’s team told KPRC 2 they are also contacting police.
Pasadena Police confirm Lewis is cooperating with detectives but has not been officially charged. Investigations are ongoing in both Pasadena and La Porte. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact Pasadena Police at 713-475-7892.