CT tennis instructor found guilty of sending sexually explicit messages to 12-year-old student


A former tennis instructor was found guilty on Monday of sending sexually explicit messages to his 12-year-old student.

A jury in New Haven Superior Court found 34-year-old Tyler Purskey of Branford guilty of enticing a minor and two counts of risk of injury to a minor, according to a release from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Purskey reportedly sent over 9,000 text messages, including hundreds of sexually explicit messages, to a 12-year-old child between Sept. 3, 2019, and Nov. 1, 2019. The evidence showed that Purskey did this in “an attempt to entice the minor into sexual activity,” the DCJ said. At the time, court records show, that Purskey was a tennis instructor for the child.

According to media reports, Purskey was a tennis pro at the Guilford Racquet & Swim Club at the time of the incidents. Club owner Sarah Boone told the Patch in 2020 that “there was an ‘incident’ in September and Purskey was let go immediately.”

Judge Elpedio Vitale scheduled Purskey’s sentencing for April 4 in New Haven Superior Court.

“The State’s Attorney would like to thank the FBI and Emanuel Hatzikostas, FBI Master Digital Forensic Examiner, for his extensive work in this investigation,” New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. said in a statement on Monday.


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