Ex-Smith County cheer coach sentenced for hidden video camera in students locker room

A former cheerleading coach in Smith County accused of installing a hidden video camera in a locker room has pleaded guilty to six counts of attempted especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.

Andrew Halford was sentenced to 24 years, according to District Attorney General Jason Lawson. Halford has been in custody since his January 2021 arrest.

The case involved six victims who were students at Elite Cheerleading and Gymnastics in Carthage where Halford worked as a coach. Halford used the hidden camera to obtain a video clip of victims undressing, according to prosecutors.

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Halford, 34, received a four-year sentence for each victim to be served consecutively, Lawson said. The plea agreement, he added, was discussed with victims and their parents.

“Due to a plea, the victims did not have to testify at trial and we did not have to present the evidence in court, although we would have done that in the most discreet fashion possible,” Lawson said. “Further, in a plea, the appeals are waived, and so the case comes to a final conclusion on the day of the plea.”

Halford also has pending charges in Williamson County. Those charges are one count of aggravated unlawful photography of a minor and five counts of attempted unlawful photography of a minor, according to the Williamson County Sheriff's Office.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ex-Smith County cheer coach sentenced for hidden video camera in locker room