LANCASTER, Pa. — Update, 2:30 p.m.: The Hempfield School District issued the following statement about the case:
"Upon notification of the allegations against Thomas Walker, he was immediately placed on administrative leave from Hempfield High School. An investigation was led by East Hempfield Township Police Department. Subsequently, Walker resigned from his position in December 2021."
Previously
A former Hempfield High School assistant football coach has been charged with corruption of minors and harassment after police say he sent inappropriate messages to a 16-year-old female student.
Thomas James Walker, 25, of Marietta, is charged with the first-degree and third-degree misdemeanors after an alleged incident that took place at about 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 7, 2021, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
Walker is listed as an assistant football coach on the Hempfield athletics website. He is a wide receivers coach for the varsity team, as well as an offensive coordinator and co-head coach of the junior varsity team, the website states.
The victim and one of her parents contacted police on Oct. 8 and reported the girl had received inappropriate messages via the social media platform Snapchat. The messages indicated the sender was "drunk and horny," according to East Hempfield Township Police.
The sender's Snapchat username was later traced to Walker, police claim.
The victim reported she received additional messages from the defendant asking how she was doing and inquiring about her appearance, according to police.
Before the victim ended the communication, the victim said the defendant was questioning about why she wasn’t sending him an image of herself, police say.
Walker allegedly admitted to a Lancaster County Children and Youth Agency caseworker that he sent the messages but did so by mistake, according to the district attorney's office.
He is presumed innocent, the district attorney's office said.
