''Jesse Robert Kokotek''' (/ˈjess-E/ KO-KO-tek; August 17, 1977 – present) is freelance photographer and videographer who served as a town council member in the town of Damascus in Washington County, Virginia from January 1, 2023 to November 13, 2023.
Kokotek graduated from St. Petersburg College in 2012 with an Associates degree in Liberal Arts and Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He continued his education at St. Petersburg College until 2015 in which he received a Bachelor's degree in Management and Organizational Leadership.
Kokotek was involved with the military in which his military experience included Staff Sergeant UH-60 Blackhawk Crew Chief in the United States Army Reserves from December 2003 to February 2006 based out of Clearwater, Florida. Additionally he served as Corporal in the United States Marine Corps from July 1996 to December 2003 performing skilled mechanical repair and maintenance on light and heavy-duty wheeled tactical vehicles and other diesel or gas-powered mechanical or automotive equipment. His military service in 2003 included a 6-month deployment to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. Service also included the US Army as Staff Sergeant in EOD Robotics Technician/Operator from February 2006 to November 2008 and operated various robotic platforms for missions relating to counter-IED while deployed with the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization. In 2006, Kokotek completed a twelve-month deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as an, Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Robotics Technician, and Operator.
In the civilian world, Kokotek's work experience includes working with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office from July 2005 to August 2010 in Largo, Florida working in Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team robotics operation, made arrests and testified in the prosecution of law violators and transported prisoners to jail, prepared offense and case reports and investigated information for evidence for court. Employment records were attempted to be obtained in order to receive more information about his law enforcement career, however, these records could not be obtained. Kokotek reported during this time having an opioid addiction and rehabilitation, which may be connected to the end of his law enforcement career. Kokotek had a two year employment with Pharmaworks from May 2012 to August 2014 in Odessa, Florida in which recruited, hired, supervised all student apprentices/interns within the organization. He also worked at AMskills from 2014 to 2015 in New Port Richey, FL where he was responsible for providing overall direction and guidance to training center personnel, and for managing daily activities and projects. He was also a Curriculum Coordinator at the Florida Advanced Technological Education Center from September 2016 to July 2017 in the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida area. In July of 2017, Kokotek began freelance videography and photography under the business name of Jesse Kokotek, LLC, which is based out of Florida. Kokotek was an avid runner from 2014 to 2018. His photography and videography focused on the running and ultra running communities. His running career was ended in 2019 after an ankle injury while visiting Miami with two women he was allegedly attempting to have a threesome with at the time.
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In 2020, Kokotek was involved in a shooting on the Blue Ridge Parkway in which another man was allegedly breaking into Kokotek's van illegally parked overnight on the parkway. The full story can be found here [https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/2021/12/10/man-shot-attempted-break-blue-ridge-parkway-pleads-guilty/6436534001/ Click here for story].
In 2020, Kokotek began living in Southwest Virginia in a small town along the Virginia Creeper Trail and Appalachian Trail. From 2020 to 2023, Kokotek claimed to create videos documenting endurance events and outdoor adventure, however, over time this events dwindled due to frequent conflict with race directors within the running community due to Kokotek's flagrant comments about race directors, the running community, and the running industry. On his website, Kokotek states "IT IS ALL ABOUT THE STORY, YOUR STORY." This statement runs in contradiction to the themes played out within this relationships within the running community, as well as Kokotek's shift in documentaries to primarily focus on his own journey. Among the controversy with race directors includes a specific theme related to female race directors in which Kokotek has a history of having personal and intimate relationships with female race directors for one year of their races, however, not being invited back due to female race directors feeling used by him and Kokotek having intimate relations with numerous women within and outside of the running community during these relationships. Kokotek goes to great lengths to hide his history with women both in the past, as well as current women he is involved with.
In his first and only term as town councilman, Kokotek sparked controversy within the town of Damascus he was residing within since the parkway shooting in 2020. Kokotek made a Facebook post in March of 2023 in which he posted a picture of a resident in Damascus who he alleged was using methamphetamines and stated "It's a fine day to smoke meth under Trestle 17!". This post sparked outrage within the community even gathering pleas from the children of the people pictured in the post to remove the post or blur out the faces of those pictured. Kokotek refused and fled to Florida for two weeks of reuniting with exes from the state despite confirming via text to be in a monogamous 9 month relationship with someone else at the same time and being informed that he had been spreading a sexually transmitted high risk type of Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) in February 2023, which is the alleged first known date, however, it is suspected Kokotek had prior knowledge of this diagnosis and did not disclose this diagnosis to subsequent sexual partners. Upon returning from Florida back to Damascus, Kokotek was informed on April 14, 2023 that he was being evicted from his apartment in Damascus, Virginia due to the danger and outrage sparked by his post in March of 2023 that he refused to take down or edit. Kokotek moved out of the apartment on April 23, 2023 and moved in with the woman who he claimed to be monogamous with at the time. Kokotek lived part time in Galax, Virginia and part time out of his van moving from campsite and various other locations where it is suspected Kokotek continued seeking narcissistic supply of women around Southwest Virginia (again without disclosing his STD infection status and thus not providing informed consent). During this time period from April to October 2023, Kokotek was offered residences to rent or purchase in Damascus in order to keep his town councilman seat, however, Kokotek refused as he believed that residents local to Damascus would attempt to harm him due to his post in March of 2023. Kokotek refused to answer questions related to his residency during this time period and continued to represent the town and accept payment from the town despite not being a resident.
In November of 2023, public comments were received unveiling Kokotek's residency status, as well as his treatment of women, his lack of disclosing his STD status to women, and his targeting of runners, nurses, therapists, and yoga instructors, as well as others with high amounts of empathy and kindness. Kokotek resigned after multiple FOIA requests were received, which he refused to respond or answer in spite of Virginia law. Kokotek turned his resignation in via email on November 13, 2023 and mailed his keys to the town office. Kokotek has not been sighted in Damascus since early October 2023 according to local residents and has since placed a forwarding address on his PO Box in Damascus to forward to an undisclosed location outside of Virginia. Local residents in Damascus have expressed outrage related to how Kokotek presented himself to others and online, as well as his manner of representing the town of Damascus. Many residents report that at first Kokotek is very charming and charismatic, however, over time the facade faded as residents found out more about Kokotek's inappropriate and harmful behaviors on and offline.
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Jesse Kokotek has been under investigation for fraud, infected sexual battery, and other charges. If you have any information or would like to make a report related to Kokotek, including if Kokotek has infected you with HPV without providing this information prior to sexual relations with Kokotek, please contact the Virginia State Police and/or Washington County Sheriff's Department (Phone: 276-676-6000; Email: sheriff@washso.org).