UPDATE: Man arrested by KSP for child sexual exploitation identified in arrest citation as local teacher, coach

A Whitley County man arrested for child exploitation offenses has been identified through a Kentucky State Police arrest citation as being employed as a teacher and coach with the Whitley County school system when the offenses occurred.

Kentucky State Police released a statement Thursday morning announcing that its Electronic Crime Branch had located, interviewed and arrested Lioney A. Henriquez, 39, on charges related to a child sexual abuse material investigation.

“Henriquez was interviewed as the result of an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation,” the release stated. “The KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after receiving a complaint that the suspect was having an inappropriate relationship with two minors. The investigation resulted in seizing numerous electronic devices belonging to Henriquez. These devices were taken to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination.”

An arrest citation sheds more light on the situation, giving Whitley County High School as the exact location of the violation and offering details of the arrest, which occurred at 1:41 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, March 13.

“I received a complaint from the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department SRO,” the arresting officer wrote in the citation. “A high school teacher/middle school baseball coach was reported to have exchanged nude photographs with two female juvenile students who were 16 and 17 years of age. This happened on several occasions.”

“Lioney Henriquez admitted to exchanging the photographs with the two students,” the officer went on to say in the citation. “Henriquez also admitted to touching the juveniles breasts and buttocks while at school. Henriquez stated he offered to meet the two juveniles for sexual intercourse at a hotel but it never actually happened. The juvenile’s statements and Henriquez’s statements are consistent.”

Whitley County Schools Superintendent John Siler confirmed Thursday that Henriquez had previously been employed by the school system, stating that he had resigned from all of his positions on March 9. Siler declined to say anything else about the situation, saying he was not able to make any comments regarding prior personnel.

According to the Education Professional Standards Board of Kentucky website, a Lioney A. Henriquez received his Rank III on Nov. 15, 2021.

On July 1, 2023, he received his temporary professional certificate for learning and behavior disorders for grades primary through 12, and his temporary provisional certificate for teaching physical education for all grades. These two temporary certificates have a June 30, 2024, expiration date.

Among other duties, the Education Professional Standards Board is responsible for issuing, renewing, suspending and revoking Kentucky certificates for professional school personnel, according to the group’s website.

Thursday’s release from KSP explained that Henriquez is being charged with nine counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor under the age of 18, and that this charge is a Class-C felony punishable by five to ten years in prison. He was also charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and two counts of procuring or promoting the use of a minor by an electronic means. These charges are Class-D felonies punishable by one to five years in prison.

Henriquez was lodged in the Whitley County Detention Center. On Thursday, he pleaded not guilty in Whitley County District Court. Judge Cathy Prewitt set a $50,000 cash bond and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Tuesday, March 19.

More on the KSP’s ICAC Task Force: The Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is comprised of more than 26 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The mission of the ICAC Task Force, created by the United States Department of Justice and administrated by the Kentucky State Police, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing a response to cyber enticement and child sexual abuse material investigations. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education. The ICAC program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity of predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.