A former Arkansas youth football coach and his wife were busted for allegedly arranging to have sex with a young girl during an undercover sting.
Benjamin Coney, 26, who coached the Arkansas Punishers, and his wife, Emily 'Grace' Brinley, 25, of Little Rock, were each charged with one count of internet stalking of a minor and conspiracy to commit rape, according to affidavits obtained by LawAndCrime.com. The couple, who had lube and other sexual "aids" in their car at the time of their arrest, traveled more than 200 miles to meet the underage girl they suspected to be chatting with, not realizing it was actually an undercover police officer.
“I’m into some very f–ked up, sick taboos,” the account used by both suspects wrote in one of the messages, claiming they were seeking underage girls and an unspecified "perfect age."
The undercover officer realized he was chatting with the man at one point and asked about his wife's sexual preferences.
“He responded she likes them young and that she wants to see him ‘f–k’ a prepubescent,” the officer wrote via LawAndCrime.com.
The couple was arrested upon arrival in Bentonville, Arkansas, by the undercover officer and both admitted to varying degrees of culpability, though Grace denied that she was "interested in children" and instead claimed "she was just trying to be a good wife," according to the affidavits.
“Grace said that she went along with Ben and repeated stuff she heard Ben say,” she reportedly told officers in reference to her husband, who allegedly admitted to having child porn on his electronic devices and told her that he'd abuse their daughter if they ever had one during sex.
“Grace stated she started crying and has refused to have sex since then,” the affidavit states.
Coney claimed that all of the talk was just fantasy and not something he would actually act upon. The Arkansas Punishers confirmed that Coney was "no longer associated with our organization" in a statement shared last Friday (December 1).
Both suspects are being held at the Benton County Jail on a $200,000 bond and scheduled for an arraignment on January 8, 2024.