Chile women’s basketball head coach Troy Hartmann was fired on Jan. 8, the night before he was arrested by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after a basketball game at the school.
According to court records, Hartman was charged with using a computer to solicit obscene communications, soliciting and enticing a child, making sexually explicit communications harmful to a minor, distributing obscene material with information harmful to a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
During his initial court appearance at 11 a.m. Jan. 8, Leon Circuit Judge Stefanie M. Newlin ordered Hartman to have no contact with minors and banned him from using the Internet.
“The investigation began in November 2025 when agents from FDLE’s Tallahassee Regional Operations Center conducted an undercover operation designed to target an online predator. During the operation, Hartman contacted an FDLE undercover agent, whom Hartman believed was a 15-year-old female. Hartman’s charges are based on communications he had with the agent acting in an undercover capacity,” FDLE wrote in a statement released on January 8.
The investigation into Hartman is ongoing.
“Now, he will be in court — not in court,” FDLE wrote in a social media post that included a photo of him in handcuffs in a patrol car and outside the school.
Chiles head coach Troy Hartman huddles with his team during a timeout in the game against Taylor County on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.
In an email to parents Thursday morning, Chiles Principal Joseph Burgess assured them that “Chiles or LCS students were not involved in this matter.”
Leon County Schools spokesman Chris Petley said Hartman is not on the payroll and is not considered an employee of the district but is a “volunteer coach.”
Prior to his arrest, Chile’s Troy Hartmann was the 2023 All-Greater Bend Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.
“This morning the administration met with the student-athletes and updated their parents on the situation, including the promotion of Coach Michael Quiggins to interim Chile women’s basketball head coach,” Burgess wrote in the email. “Our young ladies will continue to compete and represent Chile High School.”
Hartman moved to Florida in 2014 to serve as co-head coach of the Tallahassee City League. He began coaching with the Chiles in 2021, telling the Tallahassee Democrat at the time that he was “excited about getting the head coaching job. With my background and the staff I have, we can elevate the program.”
Court records reveal reasons for arrest
Hartman used the social media platform Kik to contact a user in a “Tally” group chat, according to court records, which were originally posted on the Leon County Clerk’s website but were later removed due to redactions.
“Hartman is the owner of the Kik account ‘big dirk,’ which has been used on multiple occasions to engage in sexual conversations with minors,” the police report said, noting that he also used the alias “Eric.”
The user he contacted was an undercover police officer with “2010” in his username. Court records state Hartman allegedly told the user he was 36 and assumed she was 15.
The undercover officer told Hartman they were currently attending a local high school. Afterwards, Hartman allegedly asked the user if he had had sex before and said he wanted to have sex, records show.
In another incident with a 15-year-old user, Hartman allegedly acknowledged the teen’s age, sent her a photo of his genitals and engaged in sexual conversations with her, court records show.
Alaijah Brown covers children and families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be contacted via: ABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.
This article originally appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat: Chile women’s basketball coach fired after arrest at FDLE
