A former assistant soccer coach at a North Texas high school is accused of using the school district’s credit card to charge more than $5,000 at a Houston strip club, authorities said.

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JD Bales, a former employee with the Bridgeport Independent School District, was arrested in Wise County in mid-December and charged with theft of property $2,500 to $30,000 enhanced, a third-degree felony, The Wise County Messenger reported.

Bales resigned from his teaching and coaching positions in September after accusations that he charged $5,455.18 at the club, the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth reported. According to an investigation by the school district, Bales allegedly used the card at The Men’s Club of Houston in the Galleria in July while in the city for a coaching clinic, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Bridgeport Police Chief Steve Stanford said that Bales was arrested on Dec. 15 on a grand jury warrant, the Messenger reported. He was allegedly indicted in November.

Bales has claimed the charges were fraudulent, the Star-Telegram reported. He has repaid the district for the charges he incurred, according to the newspaper.

“During the investigation, which included information that Bales had formerly claimed the charge was fraudulent (with both the school and the financial institution), investigators discovered evidence indicating a criminal offense occurred,” Stanford said in a statement. “Bales eventually submitted payment for the charge. However, due to the overwhelming evidence in the case (most importantly the case involved taxpayer money), I believed it was prudent to submit the case to the Wise County District Attorney.”

Bales was released on Dec. 16 after posting $10,000 bail, the Messenger reported.

He has coached at Bridgeport since 2018, according to the Chronicle. He was also a special education teacher at Bridgeport Middle School, the Messenger reported.