Former Shawnee coach sentenced to five years in prison

SHAWNEE, Okla (KFOR) — Former Shawnee High School coach Ron Arthur has been sentenced to five years in prison for soliciting sexual relations with a minor in 2021. In a November hearing, the student told the jury he downloaded the app, Grindr, when he was 17 and talked with Arthur about meeting up after graduation.

Arthur sat with a solemn face in a Pottawatomie courtroom as the judge listed his sentencing on Wednesday.

Arthur was given five years in prison, five years supervised post-imprisonment, and a $3,500 fine.

Before the judge gave the final sentence, victim impact statements were heard.

Arthur sat quiet and listened. He showed no emotion on his face.

One of the statements was written by the victim's brother.

It said "I fear for future victims if the pedophile sees the outside world again".

The second statement was written by the victim's mother. It pointed out that her son is "unbreakable".

That's when Arthur's brother, Carl, took the stand saying "my brother is not a monster".

Arthur got emotional as he heard his brother talk about their relationship.

"There is another side to him other than what is being portrayed. He's been a good man, he's you know close to his family," said Shelley Levisay, Ron Arthur's attorney.

On Wednesday, Arthur's attorney argued yet again that the victims on the apps weren't of age to be using them in the first place when messaging back and forth with Arthur.

"We're not talking about a teacher preying on young children. This is talking about a man who is a gay man and gay students that are getting on dating sites or Gindr wanting to hook up," said Levisay.

The Pottawatomie County District Attorney commented about the sentencing.

"We're more than happy that the judge sentenced the defendant to what the jury recommended. So we're pleased with the outcome," said Adam Panter, the Pottawatomie County District Attorney.

"I think it was a little too lenient, but I mean it's what the jury had said you know, five years," said Jeff Ledezma, Ron Arthur's previous victim.

Ledezma said he's worried for what could happen in the future.

"I've made it to the good Lord, but if he gets out, I see it happening again," said Ledezma.

Arthur has 10 days to appeal. His attorney said she will look into that and see if they will pursue it.

Lawmakers are working on a bill that would prohibit Oklahoma educators from having digital one-on-one conversations with students.

It passed a House committee unanimously on Tuesday and will go to the floor for further debate.