Ex coach admits to child porn
Published 10:44 pm Friday, February 27, 2009
A former swim coach at the Nansemond Swim Club was found guilty of six felonies in Suffolk Circuit Court on Thursday.
Jeffrey Steven Woodyard, 23, pleaded guilty to three counts of producing child pornography and three counts of using a communications system to facilitate certain offenses involving children, said prosecutor Nicole Belote. The guilty pleas were part of a plea bargain, under which several other charges will not be prosecuted.
The charges stemmed from complaints registered with Child Protective Services in June 2008. Woodyard was arrested in August after an investigation revealed he had used his cell phone to send sexually explicit photographs to teenage members of his swim team and lifeguards at the swim club. He had encouraged the boys to send pictures back to him.
At least one boy did, Belote said, because, according to the boy, Woodyard was “being pushy about it.” Police later recovered the photograph and entered it into evidence at the trial. Woodyard also asked the boys, ages 15 and 16 at the time, for photographs and sexually explicit video of the teens.
Woodyard will be sentenced May 21. He could face nine years in prison.