By Jamie Burch (KVII) and
By Kaitlin Zamora (KFDA)

— Former Perryton ISD athletic director and football coach Cole Underwood was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk sentenced Underwood Tuesday morning, five months after he pleaded guilty to “enticement and attempted enticement of a minor.”

Underwood admitted having sex at least 10 times with a 15-year-old girl in his school office.

At the sentencing hearing, the student detailed how the situation escalated from Underwood acting as a confidant during a stressful period to isolating her and continually pressuring her for sex.

“I had no idea that he was slowly in the process of grooming me, I genuinely thought that he actually cared about me,” she said in a victim impact statement. “I didn’t know how to stop it… He convinced me to shut everyone out. I felt like I seriously had no one but him.”

“I hope if there is a girl out there who is going through what I have been through, she has the chance to hear my story to know it’s okay to speak up. There are people who want to help,” she added. “Just because you have one bad chapter does not mean your story is over.”

Underwood’s sister also testified during sentencing that she had been molested as a child by him several times.

According to court documents, Underwood wanted to marry his victim and run away with her.
Underwood faced between 10 years and life in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

He was sentenced to 360 months in prison and supervision for the rest of his life.

A civil lawsuit filed by the father of the girl against Perryton ISD and Underwood is pending.