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10 years in prison sought for ex-coach
YOUNGSTOWN
The prosecution is recommending 10 years in prison for a former Austintown Middle School girls basketball coach, who pleaded guilty to 10 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor and five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.
Rex A. Bosley, 60, of Rita Avenue, Austintown, entered his plea Friday before Judge Shirley J. Christian of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who will sentence him at 1:30 p.m. May 24.
A county grand jury last November indicted Bosley on 10 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor and 40 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, all felonies.
The prosecution dropped 35 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor in the plea deal.
Bosley was accused of having the pornography last Aug. 12, the day a police officer searched his home with Bosley’s consent and seized a computer.
None of the images the officer found was of Austintown students, authorities said.
Bosley was freed on $8,000 bond Aug. 17 on the condition he have no contact with minors. He remains free on bond.
The school district hired Bosley in November 2014 to coach the seventh-grade basketball team and fired him last Aug. 18.
Bosley repeated, “Guilty your, honor,” as the judge asked him for his pleas, one count at a time.
Each count carries up to 18 months in prison and up to a $5,000 fine.
Jennifer McLaughlin, an assistant county prosecutor, urged the judge to review in her chambers before the sentencing the child pornography Bosley possessed to “gauge the harm that is being done here and the nature of those videos and images.”
The obscenity counts refer to videos, and the sexually oriented matter counts refer to still photos.
Bosley will have to register in person as a sex offender every 18 months for 25 years.