Barry Gebhart, athletic director for the Fayetteville School District, has been arrested in connection with Internet stalking of a child, a felony, said Keshia Guyll, spokeswoman for the Benton County Sheriff's Office.
According to a probable cause affidavit, undercover detectives posing as a 14-year-old girl engaged in conversations with Gebhart on the services Whisper and Kik Messenger. Gebhart used the screen name BigDog, according to the affidavit.
"During the chats between the fictional child and Gebhart, Gebhart made sexual comments, sent a photograph of his penis as well as several facial photographs and requested a photograph of the girl[']s breasts," the affidavit states.
With a subpoena for Whisper, detectives obtained several other posts apparently from Gebhart, including one referring to a girl in his class and that he could see up her skirt, the affidavit states. GPS coordinates from the posts were traced to Gebhart's house, according to the affidavit.
After some unsuccessful attempts to arrange a meeting, detectives posing as the girl arranged to meet Gebhart at Pinnacle Hills Promenade, where he was arrested Tuesday, according to the affidavit. The "girl" had told Gebhart her 15th birthday was monday, according to the affidavit.
Gebhart's bond was set at $75,000 Wednesday afternoon. He was in the process of being released on bond late Wednesday afternoon. He will not be allowed to have access to computers, the Internet or iPhones.
His arraignment was scheduled for Dec. 2.
Gebhart joined the Fayetteville School District as a teacher and assistant coach in 1986. He later became head basketball coach. In 2009, he was named athletic director. He coached the boys basketball team to the Class 7A state championship during the 2008-09 season. The team went undefeated at 30-0.
He is a 1981 graduate of Fayetteville High School and a 1985 graduate of the University of Arkansas.
In a statement, Fayetteville Superintendent Vicki Thomas said Gebhart would remain on administrative leave "pending the outcome of the police investigation." The district is cooperating with investigators and had no further comment, Thomas said. Thomas issued a longer statement later in the day:
To our parents, guardians and friends,
As you may already be aware, today has been a difficult day for all of us at the Fayetteville Public Schools and in the Fayetteville community. Athletic director Barry Gebhart was arrested last night by the Benton County Police Department on suspicion of Internet stalking of a child.
Upon my notification of his arrest, Gebhart was immediately placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the police investigation. We are fully cooperating with the Benton County Sheriff's department in their investigation.
As a staff member and as a parent, I urge you to continue to be vigilant in watching over your children's cyber activity. If you have any concerns regarding this situation, or any other internet safety issue, please contact our school resource officers at 445-1204 or 445-1205.
The safety of your children is of paramount importance to us. Any time there is a possible crime such as this, there is a concern for other potential victims. Anyone with any information should contact their local police department. The Fayetteville Police Department may be reached at 479-587-3555.
Sincerely,
Vicki Thomas