KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A Knoxville youth coach accused of child sex crimes was released from jail Wednesday afternoon after a judge ordered his release.
Douglas Peek, 48, was released at approximately 12:44 p.m., roughly 20 hours after posting a $100,000 bond and paying for GPS monitoring.
A Knox County grand jury indicted Peek on March 18 on two counts of aggravated sexual battery and three counts of invasion of privacy involving a victim under 13. Knoxville police arrested him Monday at his Sequoyah Hills home.
Peek posted bond Monday night and his family paid for GPS monitoring by Tuesday morning, but he remained in custody at the Knox County Detention Facility.
His attorney, Jonathan Cooper, filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus this week, arguing there is no legal authority to keep a defendant in jail after bond conditions are met.
“The issue though, is that the defendant is being detained while that process is going on in violation of the law,” Cooper said.
Prosecutors said a Knox County policy gives victims a 48-hour window to sign up for GPS alerts and set exclusion zones before a suspect is released. The two sides disagreed on when that 48-hour period begins.
The policy is specific to Knox County. Other counties in Tennessee do not hold defendants while victims are notified.
During Wednesday’s arraignment, prosecutors told the court two of three victim families were at the pretrial office getting GPS notification devices, with the final family expected to complete the process that afternoon.
The judge ordered Peek released by 2 p.m. Wednesday and called for a stakeholder meeting to address how Knox County handles GPS detention after defendants post bond.
The Knoxville Police Department’s Special Crimes Unit began investigating Peek after the Department of Children’s Services referred allegations that he inappropriately touched members of youth sports teams he coached.
Officers arrested Peek at his home on Cherokee Boulevard. The arrest report says officers confiscated one black Apple iPhone that was on Peek at the time of arrest and placed it on hold for the detective leading the investigation.
According to the indictment, the alleged incidents occurred between August 2023 and December 2024.
In September 2025, Peek and his wife filed a lawsuit against three Knoxville community members, accusing them of defamation. The suit claims those individuals spread false rumors about Peek’s conduct with children. The case remains open.
Cooper said Peek maintains his innocence.
“Mr. Peek is adamant that he has not violated the law, that he is innocent of these charges, and we hope to prove that later in court,” Cooper said.
Peek’s next court date is May 26. The KPD investigation is ongoing.
