A Virginia Beach Circuit Court judge on Monday postponed the sentencing of convicted sex offender, former Nansemond-Suffolk Academy coach Kenneth Crowder.

Judge Patricia West said she wanted more information on whether Crowder was a future danger to society. Crowder pled guilty March 28 to attempting indecent liberties and use of a communication device for procuring minors for obscene materials. West ordered that he undergo a psycho-sexual examination, which pushed the sentencing back to July 26.

&uot;(Crowder) has surrounded himself and put himself in situations with young boys of the exact same age as the imaginary boy the police designed,&uot; West said.

Crowder was arrested as part of a sting operation between Suffolk and Virginia Beach police when he exchanged e-mails with an officer posing as a 13-year-old boy. When he was caught, Crowder was carrying condoms and Viagra in his car.

&uot;But for the fact that police officers intervened, there might have been sexual contact between him and a 13-year-old boy.&uot;

Crowder’s wife Sylvia described the affect that his arrest has had on the family. The couple will soon mark their 32nd anniversary.

&uot;I want to continue with the marriage,&uot; said Sylvia, &uot;but if he goes to jail for a long period of time, I don’t know how to do that.&uot;

Crowder, who lives in the 200 block of Northbrooke Avenue, fidgeted in his chair and continuously wiped his eyes with a tissue during his wife’s testimony.

&uot;I don’t understand any of it,&uot; Sylvia said. &uot;It’s beyond me. We can no longer have friends over, and boys can’t come over to see my son. It’s been very hard on all of us.&uot;

Local attorney Stan Clark saw Crowder coach his son for four years.

&uot;I have watched Coach Crowder, and he has always been concerned about the whole team,&uot; Clark said on the witness stand.

&uot;I watched him take a bunch of kids that I really didn’t think would amount to anything, and he was able to pull them together, bring the younger kids along, and put together a team that won the TCIS junior varsity baseball championship.

&uot;I have watched him handle these young men and I know that he’s (in court) because of an aberration. I would simply (say) that this is a one-time occurrence for this man.&uot;

When asked by West if he would allow his son to be alone with Crowder, Clark answered in the affirmative.

&uot;That has happened many times,&uot; he said. &uot;We all stumble. I think that my son is a better person for having known him.&uot;

Sandy Reveley, a fellow NSA coach and Chesapeake accountant who handles the financial affairs of Crowder’s trucking company, also testified that Crowder was a good coach, and that sending him to jail might cause his company to fail.

Crowder will remain free until sentencing.

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com