NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut tennis instructor was sentenced to prison on Friday for sending a series of sexually explicit messages to a child and attempting to engage the child in sexual activity, the state’s Division of Criminal Justice reported.
Tyler Purskey, 34, of Branford, received a 15-year prison sentence, execution suspended after eight years served, and 15 years of sexual offender probation, State’s Attorney John P. Doyle said in a release on Friday.
Earlier this year, on Jan. 22, a jury in New Haven Superior Court found Purskey guilty of enticing a minor and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.
According to evidence introduced in court, Purskey sent more than 9,000 text messages to a 12-year-old child between Sept. 3, 2019, and Nov. 1, 2019, according to the Division of Criminal Justice. Evidence revealed that Purskey, a tennis instructor, attempted to entice the minor he was coaching into sexual activity.
Doyle expressed gratitude to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and FBI Master Digital Forensic Examiner Emanuel Hatzikostas for his significant contributions to the investigation, which was led by the Guilford Police Department.
“The New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office is committed to working with local, state and federal partners to identify and prosecute those who exploit children,” Doyle said in the release. “Those who victimize children, our most vulnerable members of society, need to be held accountable for their actions.”
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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