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Former Sheridan coach pleads guilty to sexual indecency with a child |
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Wednesday, 26 March 2008 |
A former Sheridan School District golf coach pleaded guilty Monday to sexual indecency with a child and was sentenced to serve four years of probation.
James Randy Gatlin, 59, of Sheridan also was ordered by Saline County Circuit Judge Gary Arnold to register as a sex offender, pay nearly $2,500 in various court costs and refrain from using the Internet during the probation period.
Gatlin also is not allowed to attend any school activities or events during the four years of probation.
In 2007, between Nov. 29 and Dec. 12, a Shannon Hills police officer, who was posing as a 13-year-old female, was contacted by Gatlin and had multiple online sexual conversations.
Gatlin also reportedly exposed himself through the use of an Internet camera, also is known as a Web cam. Authorities also said that during that time, Gatlin allegedly had sexually explicit conversations with a Conway officer who was posing as a 13-year-old female, according to Conway Police Department officials.
Conway police told Saline County authorities that they have evidence that Gatlin exposed himself to the undercover officer using an Internet camera.
It was during this investigation that the Shannon Hills Police Department found out that they were having conversations with a Sheridan School District golf instructor and decided to take quick action.
“When we found out (Gatlin) was a school teacher, we decided that we needed to get him away from the children he is around in the school,” Shannon Hills Police Chief Richard Friend said.
“We could have kept the investigation going and possibly charged him with a more serious crime, but we felt because he was around children that we needed to get him in custody as soon as we could. Because he works at a school, we just didn’t want to take the risk of him having any inappropriate relationships with any children.”
On Dec. 12, the Sheridan Police Department took Gatlin into custody and transported him to the Saline County jail. Friend said that when Sheridan police took him into custody, Gatlin allegedly admitted to authorities that he had used a Sheridan School District computer to engage in sexually explicit conversations with a person Gatlin believed to be a juvenile female.
The practice of engaging in sexual activity via the Internet also is known as “cyber sex,” according to authorities. On Dec. 14, Saline County District Court Judge Mike Robinson set a $10,000 bond and ordered that Gatlin is to have no contact with minors, except for members of Gatlin’s family; that the suspect is not to appear on any Sheridan School District campus; and that Gatlin is to stay off the Internet.
“Gatlin is a predator,” Friend said. “He was very graphic in the private chats and the Web cams were very graphic. He knew what he wanted and how he wanted it. Although he had contact on the Internet with what he thought was a young girl, we have no reason to believe that he had contact with students at the [Sheridan schools], just the Internet.”
Friend added, however, that “because (Gatlin’s) position is as a coach ... and because one of our jobs is to protect the children, we felt it was necessary to remove him from that situation at that time.”
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