Perryton ISD Coach Charged For Enticing 15-Year-Old Student

A Perrytown ISD coach has been charged following an alleged sexual relationship with his 15-year-old student, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

Cole Underwood, 29, was charged via criminal complaint with enticement of a minor. He made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lee Ann Reno on Thursday afternoon.

According to the complaint, Perryton ISD’s superintendent reached out to law enforcement on May 7 to report a possible inappropriate relationship between Mr. Underwood and a female student. According to the superintendent, surveillance video allegedly showed Mr. Underwood meeting with the girl alone after hours, despite being given a specific directive not to be alone with her.

Agents reviewed the footage and observed Mr. Underwood propping an exterior door open and then shutting off lights. Approximately 15 minutes later, the girl entered the darkened building through the propped door and walked into Mr. Underwood’s office.

In interviews with law enforcement, the child said Mr. Underwood had sex with her in his office more than a dozen times between February and May.

She said that after she added him as a contact on Snapchat, he established a personal friendship with her, and even invited her to his office to confide in him. She said that Mr. Underwood began messaging her in a flirtatious and sexual manner in December, and eventually used Snapchat to arrange sexual encounters.

A search of the girl’s cell phone revealed multiple late-night conversations – some lasting more than six hours – between her and Mr. Underwood, who allegedly occasionally referred to the child as “wifey” and told her he loved her.

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Mr. Underwood is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, he faces up to life in federal prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Amarillo Resident Agency and the Ochiltree County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation with the full cooperation of the Perryton Independent School District. Assistant U.S. Attorney Callie Woolam is prosecuting the case.