MESA, AZ — A former Dobson High School basketball coach has been sentenced to seven years in prison for sexual conduct with a minor after having sexual relations with several underage female athletes.
Court records show that last week, Kyler William Ashley, 24, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted sexual conduct with a minor and one count of luring a minor for sex.
In addition to the prison time, Ashley will be registered as a sex offender and will be placed on lifetime probation upon his release from prison.
Mesa police arrested Ashley on May 16, 2019, after he tried to meet a 16-year-old student-athlete at Tempe Marketplace to have sex. He had been messaging the girl for several months on Snapchat. Police say Ashley thought he was meeting the victim at Tempe Marketplace to have sex but instead was arrested by police.
After his arrest, Ashley allegedly admitted to having sexual relations with two other 17-year-old student-athletes. On several occasions, Ashley would pick up the victims and take them to an alley or parking lot to engage in sexual activity.
One victim told police she knew Ashley since he was her middle school basketball coach.
Ashley coached girl's JV basketball at Dobson High School from 2016 to 2019. He also coached basketball for seventh-grade girls at Summit Academy in Chandler. Police have not been notified of any incidents involving students at the middle school.
Mesa police say a background check was done on Ashley before he was hired, and nothing of importance was found.
At the time of his arrest, Mesa Public Schools released the following statement following the arrest:
"Mesa Public Schools' first priority is the safety and security of our students.
Kyler Ashley was a seasonal basketball coach for girl's junior varsity at Dobson High School and 7th-grade girls at Summit Academy. He did not teach or work in any other capacity for the district.
He passed his background check when hired by the district in 2016 and received extensive training from the district and AIA on the responsibilities of a coach. He was due to renew his fingerprint clearance in September 2022."
