William Goodson, a former teacher and basketball coach at South Laurel Middle School in London, Kentucky, has been sentenced to 246 months in prison for the online enticement of a minor. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom.
Goodson, 32, from Antioch, Tennessee, admitted to persuading a minor to engage in sexual activity while he was employed at the middle school. His actions took place between August 2023 and February 23, 2024. According to his plea agreement, Goodson sent numerous sexually explicit messages to the victim through text and Snapchat. He described his relationship with the minor as akin to that of a boyfriend and confessed to buying gifts for the victim and maintaining daily communication via Snapchat. Goodson ultimately convinced the minor to engage in sexual contact on multiple occasions within his classroom.
Federal law mandates that Goodson serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. Following his release, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for an additional 20 years.
The announcement of Goodson's sentence was made jointly by Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Louisville Field Office; and Chief Jerry Hollon of the London Police Department.
The investigation into Goodson's actions was carried out by both the FBI and London Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project coordinates federal, state, and local resources to apprehend individuals exploiting children via the Internet and assist victims.