High School Track Coach Targeted Minors. How Was It Allowed to Go On for So Long?

Stevenson taught science at University City High School, where he also served as a cross-country running coach. He will potentially spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Caught By Mistake

If it weren’t for a cell phone robbery, Sean Stevenson might not have ever gotten caught.

Police identified Stevenson as a potential person of interest after investigating a cell phone robbery, according to court documents. The victim of the robbery was a prostitute, and the alleged perpetrators were a pimp and his “bottom girl”– slang for the pimp’s most trusted prostitute.

Since the robbery victim was underage and she reported that the alleged thief wasn’t just a pimp but that he was her pimp, police initiated a human trafficking investigation and executed search warrants on the phones of the alleged robbers after apprehending them at a local hotel.

The bottom’s phone contained suspicious texts via the Pinger messenger app from a man who indicated that he was seeking contact with an underage girl. In the messages, the woman who owned the phone identified herself as “Kash.”

Police mounted an undercover operation against the unknown sex solicitor to suss him out.

To Catch a Predator

An undercover cop messaged the number the unknown person was using. The UC identified herself as “Kash” and asked the unknown person if he was still interested in meeting her underage friend.

The unknown person responded back, confirming his interest in having sex with a minor.

That man turned out to be 58-year-old Sean Stevenson– a San Diego high school teacher and cross-country running coach, say police.

Stevenson accepted, according to message transcripts included in his indictment. Stevenson made an arrangement to pay $150 for oral sex with the underage girl, later negotiating the price down to $140. They agreed to meet for a “car date.”

When Stevenson showed up to meet the girl at 7 am, he had $140 with him, according to a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) press release announcing the arrest. He also was in possession of the phone from which he had messaged “Kash” arranging for sex with the minor.

Temporary Ban from Coaching Kids

In December 2023, the USA Track and Field (USATF) temporarily suspended Sean Stevenson’s involvement with their organization, citing “criminal disposition sexual conduct involving a minor.” Based on its pattern with similar cases, they will eventually deem Stevenson permanently ineligible to participate in organization events, including coaching children.

A Win for the Feds

Sean Stevenson’s position as a teacher and a cross-country coach gave him access to children, which made prosecuting him a priority for the U.S. Attorney’s office.

“Instead of a protector, this teacher became a predator,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath in the press release. “These despicable acts betray the trust of students, parents, and the entire community. Yet through swift justice in this case we have continued to protect children from being exploited, trafficked, and abused.”

Sean Stevenson Sentencing

Sean Stevenson faces sentencing on Sept. 5. He could get as much as life in prison with a statutory minimum of ten years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. The prosecution is asking for a custodial sentence of ten years, according to the terms of his signed plea agreement.

Though theoretically, fines in this case could be more than $250,000, prosecutors have agreed to not ask for additional fines in this case due to the cost of collecting these fines compared with Stevenson’s ability to pay them, according to the plea agreement.

Prosecutors will instead ask for the imposition of a total of $5,100 “special assessment” in the case.

While the sentencing and the fines constitute the agreement between the defense and prosecutors, the judge in the case will ultimately decide Stevenson’s sentence.

Call Police with Leads

Even though Sean Stevenson has been convicted, the DOJ is still actively investigating leads associated with this case. Call San Diego County Crime Stoppers (888-580-8477) or the National Human Trafficking Hotline (888-373-7888) if you have further information.

The Daily Muck will continue to follow up on this story as it develops. You can email teresa.t@dailymuck.com if you have information you would like to share with The Daily Muck.

Lingering Questions About Sean Stevenson’s Conviction

Thankfully, Sean Stevenson was caught and will be brought to justice on Sept. 5.

But questions remain. The man in the text messages soliciting sex with a minor seemed experienced. He knew how to solicit sex, the lingo involved, and he demonstrated a comfort level with the process suggesting this wasn’t his first rodeo.

How many children did Stevenson victimize during his three-decades-plus career? Assuming he didn’t suddenly start abusing underage girls at the ripe age of 58, how was he able to go so long without getting caught?

Sean Stevenson’s Facebook page disturbingly shows the significant access he had to junior athletes during the years he worked as a track coach. To what extent did he use his trusted positions as both a teacher and a track coach to groom minors? Or gain some kind of vicarious gratification from their presence?

Or was Stevenson’s predatory behavior solely directed at underaged prostitutes– the unfortunate victims of human trafficking schemes– pressured into sex work with drugs and violence? And if he did abuse only prostitutes, were these victims somehow less deserving of humane treatment than his high school students and athletes?

But most importantly, what is the process of vetting teachers and coaches in the San Diego Unified School District, and how can they prevent this from happening again?