lit a candle 22 Sept 2026Died awaiting trial. That's the only fact that matters here.
Their story
Jason Rockhold was a youth softball coach from Washington, Illinois, whose public life ended not with retirement or tribute but with an arrest, a jailhouse death, and an unfinished criminal case. He faced multiple charges of sexual assault against a former player before he died in custody at the Woodford…
Jason Rockhold was a youth softball coach from Washington, Illinois, whose public life ended not with retirement or tribute but with an arrest, a jailhouse death, and an unfinished criminal case.
He faced multiple charges of sexual assault against a former player before he died in custody at the Woodford County Jail.
Rockhold, of Washington, was accused earlier this summer of sexually assaulting the girl in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in Woodford County after getting her intoxicated.
The allegations came to light on July 16 when a detective was called to the girl's house on a report that Rockhold was harassing her electronically, and it was during that investigation that police learned of the alleged sexual activity.
He was facing multiple felony charges of child sexual assault and abuse, possession of child pornography and grooming in Woodford County, and he also was charged with six counts of sexual assault of a minor in Tazewell County.
The Tazewell charges alleged the girl was under 13 years old at the time in some counts, and between 13 and 17 in others, with the assailant said to be 17 or older and to have held a position of trust.
He had pleaded not guilty in both cases and was being held pending trial.
He was to appear in Tazewell County Circuit Court on Thursday afternoon for an arraignment hearing.
He never made it to that hearing.
Jason Rockhold, 45, was discovered shortly before 3 a.m., according to Woodford County Chief Deputy Dennis Tipsword, and after jail staff attempted life saving measures, he was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria.
Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said Rockhold was pronounced dead at 4:17 a.m. at the hospital, and an autopsy was scheduled for the following day.
Both Tipsword and Harwood said the Illinois State Police were investigating the death.
State police said the matter was an open and ongoing investigation and that no additional information would be released at that time.
His attorney, John Lonergan, said Rockhold was taken to the emergency room in the early hours of the morning and that his wife received notice of his passing just minutes later.
Lonergan said he had expressed concerns at prior hearings about his client's health and the medical care he could receive in custody, though he said he did not know the cause of death and did not want to speculate ahead of the autopsy.
No additional details were available as the investigation continued.
The case leaves unresolved the criminal charges against him and the question, for the girl and her family, of a trial that will now never take place.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by WEEK | 25 News Now.
Agreed, no sympathy needed.