PERRYTON, Texas — A 29-year-old Texas high school coach faces a possible life sentence in prison after having a sexual relationship with his 15-year-old student, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Cole Underwood was arrested after the Perryton ISD superintendent contacted authorities about surveillance video allegedly of Underwood meeting a female student after hours "despite being given a specific directive not to be alone with her," a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Authorities who reviewed the footage said it showed Underwood prop open an exterior door of the school and then shut off all of the lights. The girl then entered the building through the door and walked into Underwood's office, the statement said.
The girl told police Underwood had sex with her more than a dozen times between February and May, authorities said. She told police the relationship began on social media. Underwood would invite her to his office to "confide in him" before he began sending her "flirtatious" messages in December 2023.
A search of the victim's cell phone uncovered several late-night conversations with Underwood, who would refer to her as "wifey," the statement said. He would also tell the girl he loved her.
Underwood made his first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lee Ann Reno on Thursday afternoon for a charge of enticing a minor.
If convicted, he faces up to life in federal prison.
The FBI Dallas Field Office, Amarillo Resident Agency and the Ochiltree County Sheriff’s Office investigated with the full cooperation of the Perryton Independent School District. authorities said.
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