Youth Tennis Coach To Serve 25 Years for Sex With 15-Year-Old Girl

He beat her with a wooden board to force obedience and had sexually assaulted her on out-of-state trips to tennis matches for over two years, prosecutors say. An investigation into claims about that relationship began in September 2018.

The train of justice for Leroy Thomas Joyner Jr. has had a herky-jerky journey over the past six years, but it pulled into its final destination station on August 8 when the 51-year-old predator from Columbus, Ga., was sentenced to 25 years in prison on a charge of transporting a minor across state lines to have sex with her, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Alabama.

Upon release from federal prison, Joyner will be on supervised release for the remainder of his life, according to the criminal judgment. Restitution to Joyner’s victim will be determined at a later date. Joyner, acting as his own attorney, has appealed the conviction and sentence, according to a Notice of Appeal filed Aug. 7.

Joyner was convicted in a jury trial on January 23 and remanded into custody.

“Predator Is Off the Street”

Joyner operated the Grassroots Tennis Association in Ozark, Ala., purportedly to provide tennis lessons and home-schooling to underprivileged teens and children, according to court documents. Allegations that Joyner used a wooden paddle on some students surfaced in September 2018. In the course of the investigation, the 15-year-old girl reported that Joyner had begun a sexual relationship with her when she was 13.

Testimony at the January trial indicated these sexual acts occurred on trips to tennis matches in Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina and continued up to the time the investigation began.

“This significant sentence reflects the harm that Joyner inflicted upon his young and vulnerable victim,” said United States Attorney Jonathan S. Ross in the press release. “I am grateful for the courage shown by the victim in coming forward and the diligence of the investigating agencies. Through the actions of all involved, a predator is off of the street and our communities are safer.”

In announcing the conviction in January, Ross said protecting children from “sexual exploitation and abuse is one of law enforcement’s most vital responsibilities. “Through his position of authority, Joyner targeted young and vulnerable victims. His actions were reprehensible and caused lasting harm. I am grateful for the law enforcement agents and prosecutors who worked diligently to hold him accountable.”

Sex Abuse Investigation Begins

FBI Special Agent Heather Holt Whelan began an investigation in January 2019 concerning allegations Joyner sexually abused one of his female students. The girl told Whelan that between 2017 and 2018, she had 20 sexual encounters, vaginal and oral, with Joyner in Alabama and Georgia, according to an affidavit.

Joyner was originally indicted in February 2020 for aggravated sexual abuse for having sex with a child between the ages of 12 and 16, according to a Feb. 2020 indictment. The indictment was later amended to include the charge of transporting a minor over state lines to engage in sexual activity deemed illegal under Alabama criminal statutes.
On June 10, 2021, United States Magistrate Judge Stephen Doyle recommended dismissing that indictment on a technicality – that the acts alleged could not be a violation of Alabama law if they occurred in another state, according to a court ruling.

The subsequent indictment in July 2021 added language stating the applicable Alabama and Georgia statutes to remedy the technical flaw but did not include the aggravated sexual abuse charge.

Abusing Positions of Authority

Sadly, the incidents of adults using their positions of trust and authority for their own prurient interests are not as rare as they should be.

One other such case, reported by The Daily Muck, involves San Diego high school track coach Sean Stevenson, who pled guilty in federal court on June 13 to soliciting sex with a 16-year-old girl.

In April 2023, Stevenson’s phone number was found in the phone of a prostitute in an unrelated incident. An investigator posed as an older prostitute called “Kash” and contacted Stevenson.

The series of text messages led to Stevenson asking for a young girl. “Kash” said she had a 16-year-old cousin who wanted to get “into the business” and Stevenson said he was “very interested.”

He was arrested when he showed up at the rendevous spot with the requested amount for the sex. He faces sentencing on Sept. 5 and has been temporarily suspended from coaching.

“Instead of a protector, this teacher became a predator,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in announcing the guilty plea. “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.”