Ex-Park Tudor coach can't stay with his parents, judge orders

A federal judge rejected former Park Tudor basketball coach Kyle Cox's request to live with his parents under GPS monitoring until his criminal case is resolved.

Cox, 31, appeared in federal court Thursday on a motion to modify his release conditions. He is accused of coercion and enticement of a 15-year-old Park Tudor student, according to federal court records.

Thursday's proceeding included testimony from Cox's mother and Joe Wiley, a family friend who is a Henry County Highway Department administrator and retired Indiana State Police investigator. While on the witness stand, they both said they would be willing to watch Cox if he's released to his parents on home detention.

"I'll probably be standing next to him 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said his mother, Karen Cox, when asked how she would keep her son from violating the terms of his release. "If he's in my home, I will monitor him completely."

Ex-Park Tudor coach Kyle Cox accused of sending sexually explicit messages to student

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve DeBrota argued that Cox remains a danger, and said Cox's parents and Wiley lack the knowledge to keep him from communicating with those outside of his parents' home.

Even after investigators seized his cellphone, Cox continued communicating with a male student, court documents said. Cox obtained another cellphone and talked to the student using a texting app and a Playstation 4 gaming console, prosecutors said.

"The bottom line is they know so little about his criminal trade craft. They don't know he can use a game console to communicate," DeBrota said. "If he's going to do things even knowing he's under federal investigation, I think the idea of waiting for his GPS monitor to go off to keep all those people safe is a poor bet."

U.S. District Court Senior Judge Larry J. McKinney ordered that Cox remain at a Volunteers of America Indiana facility where he is monitored 24 hours a day.

Kyle Cox could face up to life in prison

"The problem, Mr. Cox, is your own behavior ... that danger has not changed," he said. "The only thing that's changed is the efforts of these nice folks that I heard from today to increase their watching of you."

Court documents allege that Cox, who also worked as a teacher at Park Tudor, persuaded a 15-year-old girl to send him explicit messages. Cox planned to have sex with the girl in his Fishers home, court documents said, while his family was out of town.

When school officials learned of the messages, they allowed Cox to resign after he signed a confidentiality agreement.

Federal court records indicate Cox continued to communicate with at least one male student after his resignation from Park Tudor — in apparent violation of his confidentiality agreement. In a series of text messages over several days, Cox told the male student to ask the 15-year-old girl “if it’s making her feel better to slander me.”

“I would turn my head if you messed her up,” Cox told the male student. That student later grabbed the girl's neck and threw her to the ground, according to federal prosecutors, and he assaulted another girl. It is unclear whether the male student faced any disciplinary action or criminal charges for his behavior.

Did Park Tudor officials violate state law?

When the student told Cox about the assault, Cox thanked him and said it would have been “epic” if the 15-year-old girl had suffered a concussion, prosecutors said.

U.S. District Court Judge William Lawrence previously ordered Cox to stay at the Volunteers of America facility. Cox also was prohibited from using the Internet and from directly contacting anyone from Park Tudor, according to the judge's order. McKinney agreed with Lawrence's order, saying his reasoning was clearly stated.

Cox was a basketball standout at Blue River High School in Henry County, and he played golf and basketball at Ball State University.

His trial has been set for July 11. If convicted, he faces 10 years to life in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

IndyStar reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski contributed to this story. Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.