Disturbing Details Begin To Come Out In Cole Underwood Case
Back in late April, former Perryton football coach and Athletic Director Cole Underwood was arrested on charges of enticement and attempted enticement of a minor..
The preliminary hearings for the case have officially begun, and we're starting to get some details about what happened and what was found...and not found. Judge Lee Ann Reno ruled there was indeed sufficient evidence to hold trial and he was denied bail pending trial.
So what have we found out in the preliminary hearing? A few things we definitely didn't know, and quite honestly a bit disturbing. This was more than just a few text messages and meetings.
In order for them to meet, they had to go to great lengths, and they used the school as their meeting place. Over the course of four months, between February and May, Underwood met with, and had sex with, Jane Doe 13-14 times in his office.
One exchange when they were setting up a meeting included Doe sending a message to Underwood asking him to prop the door to the workout room so she could come by to workout at 2:45. It didn't specify AM or PM.
At 2:45 am, Doe arrived at the school where she found the door propped open. On many occasions, Underwood would go through the school and turn off all the lights believing that would hide Doe from the cameras. They did not.
He would give her explicit instructions on how to move through the school in hopes of not being picked up on camera. They would meet in his office every time they latched up.
During Wednesday's hearing, FBI Special Agent Nathan Newland testified that Underwood truly believes "it's God's divine plan for them to be together." The FBI also mentioned Underwood wants to marry Doe and run away with her.
The prosecution showed a photo of a letter that was written by Doe for Underwood's mom. Underwood gave specific things to write in the letter, such as they are in love, they want to get married and leave Perryton, and that she's sorry for the grief this caused. She wrote the letter verbatim to what Underwood gave her.
Underwood was first arrested in late April and was told not to have contact with Doe as part of the conditions of his bond. He ignored that by meeting with her to give her a secret phone so they could continue communicating. They would connect and communicate via TikTok and an encrypted messaging app.
They also sent nude photos to one another, but those photos haven't been found as of yet. The prosecution did ask that if they were found would they constitute child porn. They were told yes, and it could levy even more charges against Underwood if found.
Underwood currently faces up to 41 years in prison if convicted, and should child pornography charges be added, he could be facing 45 years to life behind bars.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins