A former Loudoun County, Virginia, basketball coach has been arrested and charged with attempted indecent liberties, after police say he tried to meet up with a detective posing as a 14-year-old boy.
Joshua Shearin, 22, of Fairfax, was arrested Wednesday, according to Fairfax County police.
In a news release, police said Shearin chatted with another user on a social media app, sent explicit pictures and discussed meeting up for a sexual encounter.
The other user was the detective posing as a teen boy.
Police said Shearin chose the location for the meet-up and when police showed up, Shearin was taken into custody.
A spokesman for Loudoun County Public Schools said Shearin was never a full-time employee of the school system but worked as a boys basketball coach at two high schools.
Shearin was freshman boys basketball coach at Tuscarora High School during the 2019 season, and its junior varsity boys basketball coach during the 2020 season.
This year, he was to be the junior varsity coach at Heritage High School, but had not yet signed a formal contract, the spokesman said. Shearing attended a practice Monday and has not been on LCPS property since.
“He will not be employed by LCPS again and is banned from LCPS property,” school spokesman Wayde Bayard told WTOP.
Shearin was charged with two counts of use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children and one count of attempted indecent liberties.
He is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
Detectives want anyone who has information – or who might have had inappropriate contact with Shearin – to call 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477) – or by texting “FCCS” plus the tip to 847411.
