Levinson Gibson, 27, formerly of Smithville, Mo., and currently of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 32 months, Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said in a release. Gibson will be registered as a lifetime sexual offender.

On Feb. 9, 2022, Gibson entered a guilty plea in Leavenworth County District Court to one count of sexual exploitation of a child. Gibson was a coach for the Dynasty Volleyball Academy in Kansas City, Kan. He solicited pictures of a 15-year-old female player through the social media app, Snapchat. Gibson was interviewed by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation on July, 21, 2021, and admitted to requesting and receiving photos of the female, the release said. Evidence showed and he admitted that after a course of multiple conversations with the girl on Snapchat he requested photos of her bra and bare breasts.

The defendant apologized to the family. His family and friends discussed that his life has already been irreversibly effected, asking for probation and continued treatment.

The victim, her parents, friends and coaches requested for him to serve prison time. A friend and peer of the victim also spoke.

“I never thought to watch out for a coach, teacher, or someone significantly older than me because I have always been taught to trust these important adults in my life,” she said. “They were supposed to be helpers in my life – not creepers.”

Thompson also weighed in on the case.

“The defendant had a position of authority and abused that,” Thompson said. “He caused this young woman extreme trauma and hurt so many others.

“Yet, just as her mother said, she is a hero. A hero for coming forward and standing strong through all this. We thank her. We hope she can be an example to others to come forward if this happens to them.”