According to Cox’s arrest warrant, the tip leading to his arrest came from the parent of a 14-year-old former pupil. The parent alerted authorities after seeing an inappropriate message from the coach on her son’s Facebook page, the warrant says.
The parent reported the message on Friday and police followed up that same day by interviewing the woman’s son. The boy said he text messaged and video chatted with the coach and knew of another boy who had sent an inappropriate photo to the coach, the document said.
Police arranged for a detective to take over the boy’s social media accounts and communicate with Cox. During those conversations, Cox graphically described sexual activity and arranged to meet the boy at Collin Creek Mall and then go to a nearby hotel, the document said.
Investigators confirmed that Cox reserved a hotel room and arrested him when he arrived at the mall on Monday.
Original: A 26-year-old youth gymnastics coach faces an online solicitation of a minor charge after Plano police said he inappropriately communicated with what he thought was a 14-year-old boy online.
Lyndsey Ryan Cox of Hurst was arrested in the parking lot of Collin Creek Mall on Monday afternoon. Plano police had been conducting surveillance and followed him to the mall before making the arrest.
Police spokesman David Tilley said Cox, who was also known as Wes Cox, has given private lessons and worked at various gymnastics centers across the Dallas-Fort Worth area in recent years. Tilley declined to name any of those centers, however, and said he didn’t know whether Cox was currently working at one at the time of his arrest.
Police are asking that parents speak with their children if they were trained by Cox and report any inappropriate activity.
“I am told he worked in various centers across the area and we don’t want parents to say my kid went to a gym center in Coppel so he is safe,” Tilley said, explaining why police weren’t releasing the center names. “They will know if they had a private coach named Wes Cox. They will recognize the photo and recognize the name.”
The details of Cox’s arrest were limited Tuesday. Tilley said that Plano police worked with the Collin County Sheriff’s Office on the case after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Part of the investigation involved a sting, in which an officer posed as a 14-year-old boy and talked with Cox online, Tilley said.
Cox remained in the Collin County Jail on Tuesday in lieu of $100,000 bond. Online solicitation of a minor is a second degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Anyone with information about Cox is asked to call police at 972-941-2580.