A former Lehigh Senior High School volunteer coach in Lee County faces charges for seducing a student.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 41-year-old Steven Bennett on April 2, accusing him of soliciting, luring, and seducing a child through text messages.
Bennett was the assistant basketball coach at the high school, serving in a volunteer capacity.
The investigation began in January after a concerned mother reported receiving sexually inappropriate messages from Bennett to her son.
Among the messages found on the alleged victim’s phone were texts from Bennett discussing watching porn.
The boy’s mother also reported that Bennett sent her son several hundred dollars and gifted him items such as Beats headphones.
Deputies interviewed the teenager, who confirmed that no explicit photos were exchanged. The boy also mentioned that Bennett provided financial assistance when needed.
Deputies and detectives conducted multiple interviews and reviewed digital evidence. According to the affidavit, messages recovered from the child’s phone included Bennett calling the student homophobic slurs and discussing pornography.
In one exchange, Bennett asked if the child filmed a sexual encounter with his girlfriend and texted, “Dad will pay for recordings, haha.”
The school’s principal terminated Bennett’s volunteer position and banned him from the campus.
Bennett is currently out on bond.